Crown prince: Saudi Arabia to reach net-zero carbon by 2060
Kingdom will also join Global Methane Pledge to contribute to cutting global methane emissions
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the Kingdom is aiming to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2060, during a speech to the Saudi Green Initiative forum in Riyadh on Saturday.
The crown prince said that Saudi Arabia aims to reduce its carbon emissions by 278 million tons per year by 2030, and the adoption of the Carbon Circular Economy — based on zero waste — would help reach the ambitious target.
The Kingdom will also join the Global Methane Pledge to contribute to cutting global methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030, as part of its commitment to deliver a cleaner, greener future.
The crown prince said the Kingdom will plant 450 million trees and rehabilitate 8 million hectares of degraded lands by 2030, reducing 200 million tons of carbon emissions with additional initiatives to be announced in the years to come.
To further amplify its protection of terrestrial, marine and coastal environments, the crown prince announced that Saudi Arabia is joining the Global Ocean Alliance, establishing the Ocean Exploration Foundation and announcing a number of initiatives – including a Global Center for Tourism Sustainability.
He added that this first set of initiatives represents over SR700 billion of investments contributing to the growth of the green economy.
The crown prince said: “The Saudi Green Initiative will provide huge investment opportunities for
the private sector, quality job opportunities for the next generation of leaders in the Kingdom and enhanced international relationships that will have a positive impact on the region and the world.”
The targets set forth by the Saudi Green Initiative announced by the crown prince aim to drastically reduce carbon emissions while also prioritizing the preservation and protection of the environment and wildlife.
“As for protecting the environment, we have previously announced the target of planting 10 billion trees throughout the Kingdom, which represents 1 percent of the global target for planting trees,” the crown prince stated.
The crown prince also mentioned plans for expanding the protected areas for wildlife in the Kingdom by 30 percent
“In our belief, confronting climate change is not only limited to reducing emissions, but also protecting and enhancing the environment.”
The crown prince added that a number of subsidies of the Saudi Public Investment Fund will be announced alongside several new initiatives that will contribute to achieving the Kingdom’s environmental goals.