The Green Saudi Initiative

The Green Saudi Initiative is an ambitious initiative launched by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to address the impacts of climate change, improve quality of life, protect the environment, and secure a more sustainable future for coming generations.

The Green Saudi Initiative extends beyond the borders of the Kingdom to reach the entire world, serving as a model to be emulated in the pursuit of sustainable development. The Kingdom is investing billions to achieve the goals of the initiative, including planting 10 billion trees across its territories and transforming desert areas into stunning green oases.

The Green Saudi Initiative also aims to achieve the goals of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030 and transition the Kingdom’s oil-based economy into a diversified and sustainable economy. Throughout this article, we will look into more information and details surrounding the Green Saudi Initiative, its goals, and its projects.

What is the Green Saudi Initiative?

The Green Saudi Initiative is a national initiative and a bold, ambitious step by Saudi Arabia toward a more sustainable future. It was announced by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as part of the initiatives under Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030. It includes three main objectives: reducing carbon emissions, greening streets and combating desertification, and protecting marine and terrestrial environments to preserve biodiversity.

What does the Green Initiative include?

The Green Initiative includes a wide range of initiatives and projects covering various aspects of life, including:

Significantly increasing the share of renewable energy in Saudi Arabia’s energy mix, achieving carbon neutrality, and relying on clean energy to reduce carbon emissions, combat pollution, and address the degradation of agricultural lands.
Improving energy efficiency and applying its standards to appliances and equipment.
Increasing green spaces and preserving nature and the environment.
Protecting marine life.

When was the Green Initiative launched in Saudi Arabia?

The Green Saudi Initiative was launched in 2021 under the patronage of His Royal Highness Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. Since its launch, it has successfully transformed its global commitments into tangible actions, with over 85 initiatives already activated, alongside a commitment to continue working and making steady progress.

Goals of the Green Saudi Initiative

It is worth noting that the Green Saudi Initiative seeks to achieve clear goals with a tangible impact on sustainability and prosperity. The most prominent goals include:

Reducing Carbon Emissions

The Green Saudi Initiative aims to reduce carbon emissions by 278 million tons annually by 2030, which is more than 4% of global contributions. This will be achieved by adopting an approach that involves all segments of society to realize its noble goals of reducing emissions, mitigating climate change, and restoring environmental balance.

This will be accomplished through the following actions:

Promoting the circular carbon economy by reusing captured carbon in the production of chemicals and industrial fuels.

Investing in renewable energy, as renewable energy projects produce clean energy sufficient to power nearly 600,000 homes, reducing the risk of global warming by 7 million tons annually.

Leading efforts to transition to a sustainable source of renewable energy by establishing a leading position in the production and export of clean hydrogen.

Enhancing energy efficiency by providing industries, buildings, and various transportation means with the necessary energy efficiently and effectively.

Improving waste management methods through an ambitious project to enhance waste management practices in Riyadh.

Additionally, efforts will be made to expand railway lines to reach 9,900 km in length to reduce traffic congestion, which significantly contributes to increased carbon emissions.

Greening the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Green Saudi Initiative outlines an ambitious vision, placing the environment at the heart of its priorities. It seeks to transform vast desert areas in the Kingdom into thriving green oases capable of absorbing carbon, improving air quality, reducing sandstorms, and mitigating rising temperatures. This will be achieved by rehabilitating 40 million hectares of desert land in the Kingdom over the coming decades.

Nearly 100 million trees have already been planted as part of the “Let’s Make It Green” campaign, alongside the creation of large open green spaces covering 10 million square meters. These efforts are expected to contribute to combating desertification, alleviating the severity of climate change, and enhancing biodiversity. As part of plans to restore coastal mangrove forests, Aramco has planted over 4 million mangrove trees.

Protecting Terrestrial and Marine Areas

The Green Saudi Initiative has set among its noble goals the preservation of ecological balance by increasing the percentage of protected areas to cover more than 30% of the Kingdom’s total land area. These areas include diverse environments spanning thousands of kilometers of coastline, vast deserts, and dense forests. Through these efforts, the Kingdom aims to restore natural environments and enhance biodiversity in collaboration with leading global organizations in biodiversity conservation, such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The initiative also seeks to provide natural habitats for plant and animal species, ensuring the continued prosperity of humanity in harmony with nature. Among the Kingdom’s most prominent efforts to preserve its natural environments are:

Commitment to continuous monitoring and evaluation through the development of monitoring and evaluation programs to study and track the effectiveness of protected area programs.

Supporting threatened ecosystems by identifying categories and species in protected terrestrial and marine areas to conserve ecosystems and endangered species.

Collaborating with experts and stakeholders specialized in protected areas to develop and implement master plans.

Delineating the boundaries of terrestrial and marine areas using aerial photography and remote sensing technologies.

History of Saudi Arabia’s Climate Initiatives

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has launched numerous ambitious initiatives aimed at achieving a more sustainable future, as it is one of the leading countries in sustainability and climate action. Below is a timeline of Saudi Arabia’s climate initiatives:

2016: The launch of the King Salman Renewable Energy Initiative, the first building block, which aims to generate 50% of the Kingdom’s electricity needs from renewable sources by 2030.
2017: The announcement of the National Renewable Energy Program.
2018: The launch of the National Strategy for Health and Environment.
2019: The establishment of the Special Forces for Environmental Security.
2020: The announcement of the “Let’s Make It Green” campaign to combat desertification.
2021: The inauguration of the Green Saudi Initiative Forum, the Middle East Green Initiative Summit, and the Green Youth Summit.
2022: The hosting of COP27, the Middle East Green Initiative Summit, and the Green Saudi Initiative Forum on the sidelines of COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh.
2023: The hosting of COP28 to discuss the Green Saudi Initiative Forum and Green Saudi Initiative dialogues within the initiative’s exhibition during the conference in Dubai.
2024: The hosting of COP16 and the Green Saudi Initiative Forum concurrently with the 16th session of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP16) in Riyadh.
2030: Striving to achieve nationally determined contributions to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 278 million tons annually, protect 30% of terrestrial and marine areas in the Kingdom, and plant over 600 million trees.
2060: Setting a goal to achieve net-zero emissions.

Green Saudi Initiative Forum

The Green Saudi Initiative Forum is a platform for dialogue and collaboration toward a green future. It brings together climate action leaders, experts, and specialists from around the world to discuss the best challenges and developments, highlight innovation, exchange ideas and experiences, evaluate progress toward achieving national goals, and take tangible actions to address climate change.

Four editions of the Green Saudi Initiative Forum have already been held:

First Edition: Held on 17 Rabi’ al-Awwal 1443 AH (23 October 2021), launched by the Crown Prince in the capital city of Riyadh, aiming to launch new environmental initiatives for the Kingdom.
Second Edition: Held on 24 Rabi’ al-Awwal 1444 AH (20 October 2022), where the Crown Prince launched the Middle East Green Initiative Summit on 7 November, while the Green Saudi Initiative Forum was held on 11-12 November in Sharm El-Sheikh under the slogan “From Ambition to Action.”
Third Edition: Held on 20 Jumada al-Awwal 1445 AH (3 December 2023), coinciding with the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Dubai.
Fourth Edition: Held on 2 Jumada al-Thani 1446 AH (3 December 2024), inaugurated under the slogan “With Our Nature, We Initiate,” coinciding with the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Riyadh.

Green Saudi Initiative and Vision 2030

The Green Saudi Initiative is a cornerstone of Vision 2030 projects, which is an ambitious plan for achieving sustainable development. The Green Saudi Initiative fully integrates with Vision 2030 and contributes to achieving many of its goals, including:

Economic Diversification: Through investments in renewable energy and environmental projects that contribute to diversifying income sources and strengthening the national economy.
Improving Quality of Life: By purifying air, water, and the environment from pollution, leading to improved human health and well-being.
Positioning Saudi Arabia as a Global and Local Leader in Sustainability.

What is the Official Day of the Green Saudi Initiative?

9 Ramadan 1445 AH (19 March 2024) is the official day of the Green Saudi Initiative each year, under the name “Green Saudi Initiative Day,” coinciding with the launch of the initiative in 2021 on the same day.

Projects of the Green Saudi Initiative

The Green Saudi Initiative includes a wide range of ambitious projects aimed at achieving its goals of reducing carbon emissions, greening the Kingdom, and protecting terrestrial and marine areas. These projects cover various fields, and below are some of the most prominent examples of projects being implemented under the Green Saudi Initiative:

Renewable Energy Projects: These include massive solar and wind energy projects, such as the establishment of solar and wind power plants with high production capacity to meet the growing demand for clean energy, converting some traditional power plants to solar-powered plants, and building smart cities that apply the latest sustainability technologies and rely on renewable energy.
Afforestation and Land Reclamation Projects: These are among the most important green projects in Saudi Arabia, including planting billions of trees across the Kingdom, rehabilitating degraded lands and restoring them to their natural state, and creating green belts around cities.
Marine Environmental Protection Projects: Such as establishing marine reserves to protect and restore coral reefs and other marine life.

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