Saudi Arabia has announced 66 new initiatives as part of its environmental plan at the UN global climate change summit taking place in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, according to reports.
The Kingdom has “developed the initiatives according to four main pillars: the circular carbon economy; raising vegetation cover and reducing degraded lands; protecting wildlife habitats and biodiversity; and promoting sustainability,” Albaraa Aldhahri, project manager at the Saudi Green Initiative’s environmental track, told Arab News.
Yesterday, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Monday that Saudi Arabia would contribute $2.5 billion to the Middle East Green Initiative over the next 10 years, and host its headquarters in the Kingdom.
The SGI, which was announced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last year, “launched the second edition of the forum at COP27, with a large pavilion dedicated to the Kingdom’s pioneering climate efforts,” Arab News notes. The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combatting Desertification, the National Center for Wildlife, Saudi Aramco, and SABIC, all under the umbrella of the Ministry of Energy, the report added.
The Middle East Green Initiative aims to reduce carbon emissions from regional hydrocarbon production by more than 60%, and plans to plant 50 billion trees across the Middle East with a goal of reducing global carbon levels by 2.5%.
