Announcing the start of the first phase of afforestation initiatives by planting more than 450 million trees, rehabilitating 8 million hectares of degraded lands, and allocating new protected lands… and targeting the Kingdom for zero neutrality in the year (2060 AD).

His Highness announces that this first package of initiatives represents investments worth more than (700) billion riyals.

RIYADH - Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Green Saudi Arabia, launched the first edition of the annual forum for the Green Saudi Initiative in Riyadh.

In his opening speech, he announced the launch of the first package of qualitative initiatives in the Kingdom; To be a roadmap for protecting the environment and facing the challenges of climate change, which would contribute to achieving the ambitious goals of the Green Saudi Initiative.

His Highness pointed out that the Kingdom has launched initiatives in the field of energy that will reduce carbon emissions by 278 million tons annually by 2030, and this represents a voluntary reduction of more than double the Kingdom’s announced targets in terms of reducing emissions.

He confirmed the start of the first phase of afforestation initiatives by planting more than 450 million trees, rehabilitating 8 million hectares of degraded lands, and allocating new protected lands, bringing the total protected areas in the Kingdom to more than (20%) of its total area.

His Highness the Crown Prince stressed his determination to transform Riyadh into one of the most sustainable cities in the world.

His Highness announced the Kingdom’s intention to join the World Ocean Union, the Alliance to Eliminate Plastic Waste in the Oceans and Beaches, the Sports Agreement for Climate Action, in addition to establishing a global center for tourism sustainability, and establishing a non-profit organization to explore the seas and oceans.

His Highness the Crown Prince also announced that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is targeting to reach zero neutrality in the year (2060 AD) through the circular economy approach to carbon, in line with the Kingdom’s development plans, and to enable its economic diversification, in line with the “moving baseline”, and preserve the Kingdom’s leading role in Enhancing the security and stability of global energy markets, in light of the maturity and availability of technologies necessary to manage and reduce emissions.

His Highness added that this first package of initiatives represents investments worth more than (700) billion riyals, which contributes to the development of the green economy, creating quality job opportunities, and providing huge investment opportunities for the private sector, in accordance with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

Crown Prince launches Riyadh Sustainability Strategy

Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, launched the Riyadh Sustainability Strategy on the sidelines of the Green Saudi Initiative forum, which began its work today in the capital, Riyadh, in the presence of a number of opinion leaders and international specialists in the field Sustainability, and in his opening speech to the forum, His Highness explained that the Riyadh Sustainability Strategy aims to "transform the city of Riyadh into one of the most sustainable cities in the world."

The Royal Commission for Riyadh City announced that the Riyadh Sustainability Strategy, which was launched today by His Highness the Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City - may God protect him - includes the launch of more than 68 ambitious sustainability initiatives in five sectors, namely: energy and climate change, Air quality, water management, waste management, biodiversity and natural areas. The strategy also aims to reduce carbon emissions in the city by 50%, in addition to injecting 346 billion Saudi riyals (US$92 billion) into the city's sustainability initiatives and projects, and stimulating the private sector with investment opportunities.

On this occasion, the CEO of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, Mr. Fahd bin Abdulmohsen Al-Rasheed, who participated in a keynote speech in the forum, extended his sincere thanks and gratitude to His Highness the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Commission for launching the Riyadh Sustainability Strategy.

He said: "Representing His Highness' ambitious vision, the strategy aims to make Riyadh one of the most sustainable and competitive cities in the world by 2030." His Excellency explained, "The directives of His Highness the Crown Prince always remind us that the ambitious economic growth of Riyadh will not come at the expense of the environment and sustainability."

He stressed the authority’s efforts in managing natural resources efficiently, noting that the environmental sustainability initiatives that were launched to support the goals of the Green Saudi Initiative, including an investment of 30 billion riyals ($8 billion) to raise the treated water rate from 11% to 100% and the use of every drop of water for irrigation. Greening the capital, Riyadh, and investing nearly 56 billion riyals ($15 billion) in waste management projects to recycle waste as raw materials, reuse it and turn it into energy at a rate of 94%.

In his speech, he explained that the strategy launched by His Highness the Crown Prince to implement environmental sustainability projects will save the city's economy between 40 to 65 billion riyals (11 to 17.3 billion dollars) as a result of raising the level of infrastructure efficiency, reducing energy and water consumption, and reducing the bill for health effects due to improved health. the public.

Regarding the impact of the projects of the Royal Commission for the City of Riyadh on the lifestyle within the city, he indicated that upon the completion of the implementation of the King Abdul Aziz Project for Public Transport in Riyadh, which is the largest integrated public transport project in the world to be developed in one go, the Royal Commission aims to raise the rate of use The population of public transportation in the city increased from 5% to 20% through investments amounting to 112.5 billion riyals ($30 billion), and raising the proportion of electric vehicles in the city to 30% by 2030. It is expected that the King Abdulaziz Public Transport Project will contribute to reducing the number of trips An average of one million trips per day, which will result in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by about 1.5 million tons per year.

His Excellency added that the authority is investing 30 billion riyals ($8 billion) in projects and initiatives to protect the environment, referring to the achievements of the Green Riyadh Initiative, which is one of Riyadh's four major projects, as a major contributor to the sustainable goals index. The Riyadh Green and Environmental Sustainability initiatives aim to plant a total of 15 million trees to raise the per capita share of green spaces from 1.7 to 28 square meters within the urban area by 2030, which will result in reducing the city temperature by 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius, i.e. reducing the temperature of the city. Glow reflected from the ground surface by 8 to 15 degrees in areas of intense afforestation. More than 3,300 parks of varying size and 43 major parks will be provided in the city of Riyadh, with the aim of improving the lifestyle there. His Excellency continued, "The parks will contribute to the humanization of the capital, strengthen the residents' relationship with their environment and improve the quality of life, and will enhance Riyadh residents' belonging to the city and its identity."

Commenting on the authority's projects that are in line with the Kingdom's sustainability goals, His Excellency added: "We will work to improve air quality by reducing carbon emissions by 50 percent, and investing 30 billion riyals ($8 billion) to increase energy production from renewable sources by 50 percent."

He also noted that the sustainability projects on which the authority is based in the city of Riyadh will provide 350,000 job opportunities and add 150 billion riyals to the local economy.