Saudi Gazette Report

RIYADH — Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Member of the Cabinet and Envoy for Climate Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir said that Saudi Arabia is keen on preserving the environment, as evidenced by its grant of $2.5 billion to the secretariat of the Middle East Green Initiative. He stated that afforestation is an integral part of Saudi Arabia’s policy to deal with climate change and the environment as it is of great importance for achieving the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

Al-Jubeir made the remarks while attending a dialogue session titled “The Kingdom’s efforts in the field of climate change” during the first edition of the “National Afforestation Forum” in Riyadh on Tuesday. Several Saudi, regional and international specialists and experts in various sectors related to the environmental field are participating in the two-day forum, organized by the National Center for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification.

Al-Jubeir said that the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative, led by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, confirm the Kingdom’s leadership role in this field and aim for the countries of the region to benefit from the Kingdom’s experience and capabilities with regard to the circular carbon economy and confronting desertification and land rehabilitation as well as planting trees so as to ensure complete reduction of carbon emissions in the region.

Referring to the Middle East Green Initiative, the minister said that many countries in the region have joined the initiative, which is the largest of its kind in the world, and there are some more countries that have expressed their desire to join as well.

Al-Jubeir said that Saudi Arabia, the largest oil exporter in the world, feels responsible towards the climate and aims to be a leading country in the field of confronting climate change by not only following international standards, but also contributing to the formulation of these specifications. He stressed that being part of the international community, the Kingdom will also be affected by any event that occurs elsewhere in the world and vice versa, as the presence of clean air and a clean environment are all important to the international community.

Al-Jubeir stated that afforestation and land rehabilitation are an important part of confronting climate change and improving the quality of life. “They are of great importance not only on the climatic and environmental levels but also on the level of security and stability. Drought contributes to the emergence of conflicts and the displacement of people from one region to another, which creates problems that conflict with Saudi Arabia’s orientations, which are based on providing security in the region and avoiding security escalation,” he said.

Al-Jubeir stated that the climate is directly linked to several other areas, the most important of which is the economy. “Disasters and floods resulting from climate change lead to an increase in commodity prices and affect supplies, shipping and transportation. This also leads to an increase in the cost and duration of shipping, which affects the consumer, he added.