The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia recently revealed its newest environmental sustainability measures: the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative. These programs aim to combat climate change threats, solidifying Saudi Arabia’s commitment to global and regional efforts to address these issues effectively.
Background: The G20 Summit and Environmental Steps
As part of the Saudi G20 presidency’s main pillars, the kingdom aimed to safeguard the planet. This goal was evident in 2020 when initiatives such as the Global Coral Reef Research and Development Accelerator Platform and the Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) Platform were introduced. A year earlier, in 2019, Saudi Arabia had established the Environmental Special Forces. All these efforts underline Saudi Arabia’s dedication to leading regional climate change solutions.
Saudi Green Initiative
The Saudi Green Initiative is primarily designed to enhance vegetation cover, reduce carbon emissions, combat pollution and land degradation, and safeguard marine life.
Key features of this initiative include the planting of 10 billion trees within the kingdom and a renewable energy program aimed at generating 50% of Saudi’s energy from renewables by 2030. This step is anticipated to cut carbon emissions by over 4% of global contributions. Saudi Arabia also plans to exceed the global target of protecting 17% of land by aiming for a 30% target of its total land area.
Middle East Green Initiative
The Middle East Green Initiative aims to preserve marine and coastal environments, increase natural reserves and protected land, improve oil production regulation, expedite the transition to clean energy, and augment renewable energy generation.
Saudi Arabia, with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and regional partners, will plant 40 billion trees in the West Asian region, representing 5% of the global goal of one trillion trees. This action is set to reduce 2.5% of global carbon levels. An annual summit called the Middle East Green Initiative will also be held to discuss implementation details with government leaders, scientists, and environmentalists.
Environmental Innovation and Support
In partnership with participating countries, Saudi Arabia will research innovative irrigation methods using treated water, cloud seeding, and planting native trees that require only three years of support before they can survive independently with natural irrigation.
Saudi Arabia is already sharing expertise with neighboring countries to decrease regional carbon emissions from hydrocarbon production by 60% and global emissions by 10%. The kingdom currently operates the world’s largest carbon capture and utilization plant and one of the region’s most advanced CO2-enhanced oil recovery plants, capturing and storing 800,000 tons of CO2 annually.
Recognizing India’s Efforts
Saudi Arabia expressed appreciation for India’s commitment to climate change mitigation, noting that India is well on its way to fulfilling its Paris Agreement targets. With the fourth largest renewable energy capacity globally, India aims to achieve 450 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030.
India’s initiatives, like the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), Bharat Stage-VI (BS-VI) emission norms, UJALA scheme, National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), International Solar Alliance, and Coalition for Disaster Resilience Infrastructure, all contribute to their climate goals.
The Way Forward
With the launch of these two Initiatives, Saudi Arabia is ushering in a new green era. They hope that these initiatives will encourage other countries to collaborate in the fight against climate change. The country emphasizes that economic prosperity should not come at the expense of the environment. A shift from the ‘pollute-first, clean-up later’ attitude towards preserving our dwindling natural resources is crucial. It is invaluable that governments, industries, and regulatory bodies align economic efforts with environmental preservation for a more sustainable future.
