The CEO of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, Fahd bin Abdulmohsen bin Saleh Al-Rasheed, confirmed that the Riyadh Sustainability Strategy, launched today by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, includes the launch of more than 68 ambitious sustainability initiatives in five sectors: energy and climate change, air quality, water management, waste management, biodiversity and natural areas. The strategy aims to reduce carbon emissions in the city by 50%, in addition to injecting 346 billion riyals (US$92 billion) into sustainability initiatives and projects for the city and stimulating the private sector with investment opportunities.
This came during his speech at a dialogue session within the Saudi Green Initiative Forum program, in which he expressed his gratitude to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for launching this strategy aimed at making Riyadh one of the most sustainable and competitive cities in the world by 2030.
His Excellency noted the Authority’s efforts in managing natural resources efficiently, pointing to the environmental sustainability initiatives launched to support the goals of the Saudi Green Initiative, such as investing 30 billion riyals ($8 billion) to raise the rate of treated water from 11% to 100% and using every drop of water for irrigation and greening the capital, Riyadh, and investing approximately 56 billion riyals ($15 billion) in waste management projects to recycle waste as raw materials, reuse it, and convert it into energy at a rate of 94%.
Al-Rashid explained that this strategy will save the city’s economy between 40 and 65 billion riyals ($11 to $17.3 billion) as a result of raising the level of infrastructure efficiency, reducing energy and water consumption, and reducing the health impact bill due to improved public health.
Regarding the impact of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City's projects on the city's lifestyle, he pointed out that upon completion of the King Abdulaziz Public Transport Project in Riyadh, which is the world's largest integrated public transport project developed in one phase, the Royal Commission aims to increase the percentage of residents using public transport in the city from 5% to 20% through investments worth SAR 112.5 billion (USD 30 billion), and to increase the percentage of electric vehicles in the city to 30% by 2030. The King Abdulaziz Public Transport Project is expected to contribute to reducing the number of daily trips by one million, which will result in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by about 1.5 million tons annually.
Al-Rashid stated that the Authority is investing 30 billion riyals ($8 billion) in projects and initiatives to protect the environment, pointing to the achievements of the Riyadh Green Initiative, which is one of Riyadh’s four major projects, as a major contributor to the Sustainable Development Goals Index. The Riyadh Green Initiative and the Riyadh Environmental Sustainability Initiative aim to plant a total of 15 million trees to raise the per capita share of green spaces from 1.7 to 28 square meters within the urban area by 2030, which will result in reducing the city’s temperature by 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius, i.e. reducing the temperature of the glare reflected from the ground surface by 8 to 15 degrees in areas of intensive afforestation. More than 3,300 parks of varying sizes and 43 major parks will be provided in the city of Riyadh, with the aim of improving the lifestyle in it.
He stressed that the parks will contribute to humanizing the capital, strengthening the relationship of residents with their environment, improving the quality of life, and enhancing the sense of belonging and identity of Riyadh residents to the city.
Commenting on the Authority’s projects in line with the Kingdom’s sustainability goals, His Excellency said: “Work will be done to improve air quality by reducing carbon emissions by 50%, and investing 30 billion riyals ($8 billion) to increase energy production from renewable sources by 50%.”
His Excellency the CEO of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City noted that the sustainability projects undertaken by the Commission in Riyadh City will provide 350,000 job opportunities and add 150 billion riyals to the local economy.
Royal Commission for Riyadh City: 346 billion riyals invested in sustainability strategy
