JEDDAH — The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has given utmost attention to climate change in the framework of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman's unprecedented interest paid to the environment sector. This was evident with the establishment of a Ministry for the Environment.

In addition, a royal approval has been issued to endorse a national strategy for the environment and regulations related to the institutional framework for the environment sector, through five national environmental centers, as well as the environment fund.

A similar royal approval has been issued for the environment law, too.

These objectives and the shift in the environment sector meet the economic requirements with realization of environment protection, conserving it, developing and sustaining it, as the main theme, towards realizing the ambitious Kingdom Vision 2030.

The Vision 2030 took all this into consideration and in an elaborate manner also the modern life requirements, ecological aspects, the balance between economic requirements and realizing protection of the environment and developing it and conserving its safety and purity.

The Kingdom seeks to realize its ambitions in fighting climate change, through shouldering its commitments under international agreements and standards, to make international programs emanated from special agencies a success, to enable it to carry out its projects to protect the environment and maintain its potentials.

That has been presented through the two Green initiatives — the Kingdom and Middle East initiatives, which are considered among paramount world initiatives related to protecting the environment against climate change.

Saudi Arabia as an oil producing and exporting country considers protecting the environment and maintaining the world energy markets' stability as the heart of sustainable development and this is among the main objectives of the Kingdom Vision 2030 that aims to implement ambitious economic plans to diversify the sources of the Saudi economy, which basically depends on oil.

Recently the Middle East Green Initiative announced by the Crown Prince is indeed the largest forestation program in the world, and it has received the apprecition and support of 11 countries in the region, to face ecological challenges in the region and the world, as well. — SPA