Saudi Arabia, one of the largest oil-producing countries globally, announced that it aims to reach “net-zero” greenhouse gas emissions by 2060. Saudi Arabia now joins more than 100 countries in the global effort to reduce man-made climate change.
Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince, made this announcement in a television statement as a part of the first Saudi Green Initiative Forum. COP26 is about to take place, at which the world leaders have to tell their plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce global warming. Previously, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman made fun of the International Energy Agency’s 2050 target as “a sequel to ‘La La Land’ movie.
Net-zero means not adding or achieving a balance between the number of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Net-zero can be achieved by reducing the emissions as much as possible, especially gases like Carbon Dioxide (CO2).
China and Russia plan to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2060. Still, other countries, including the US, the UK, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and other European Union, aim to achieve this goal 10 years earlier.
Saudi Arabia is the world’s tenth-largest emitter of carbon dioxide. The Saudi Prince also promised that they would plant 450 million trees and rehabilitate huge swaths of desegregated lands by 2030, reducing 200 million tons of carbon emissions in an attempt to turn the city of Riyadh into a sustainable capital.