His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Saudi Green Initiative—may God protect him— the first edition of the annual Saudi Green Initiative Forum in Riyadh, which is dedicated to launching new environmental initiatives for the Kingdom and monitoring the impact of previously announced initiatives, in order to achieve the goals of the Saudi Green Initiative.
In his opening remarks at the Saudi Green Initiative Forum, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince announced the launch of the first package of qualitative initiatives in the Kingdom; serving as a roadmap for protecting the environment and addressing the challenges of climate change, which will contribute to achieving the ambitious goals of the Saudi Green Initiative.
His Highness noted that the Kingdom is launching energy initiatives that will reduce carbon emissions by 278 million metric tons annually by 2030, which represents a voluntary reduction of more than double the Kingdom’s announced emission reduction targets.
His Highness confirmed the launch of the first phase of afforestation initiatives, which includes planting more than 450 million trees, rehabilitating 8 million hectares of degraded land, and designating new protected areas, bringing the total area of protected areas in the Kingdom to more than (20%) of its total area.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince emphasized his determination to transform the city of Riyadh into one of the world’s most sustainable cities.
His Highness announced the Kingdom’s intention to join the World Ocean Alliance, the Alliance to End Plastic Pollution in the Oceans and on Beaches, and the Sports for Climate Action Pact, as well as establishing a global center for sustainable tourism and a nonprofit foundation for the exploration of the seas and oceans.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also announced that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060 through a circular carbon economy approach, in line with the Kingdom’s development plans and to enable its economic diversification,in line with the “moving baseline” approach, and preserving the Kingdom’s leading role in enhancing the security and stability of global energy markets, as the necessary technologies for managing and reducing emissions mature and become available.
His Highness added that this first package of initiatives represents investments worth more than 700 billion riyals, which will contribute to the development of the green economy, create high-quality jobs, and provide massive investment opportunities for the private sector, in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.