JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia aims to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2060. In the shorter term, it is taking steps to reduce emissions by 278 million tons a year by 2030.
On the sidelines of President Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia this week, the Kingdom staged the KSA Green Transition Journey exhibition at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Jeddah on Thursday. It offered an immersive experience that illustrated the nation’s journey toward, and ambitions for, clean energy.
Special guests at the event included Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, the minister of energy, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, the foreign minister, and Majid Al-Qasabi, the minister of commerce and acting media minister.
An electric car manufactured by American company Lucid Motors was on show at the event at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Jeddah on July 14, 2022. (Supplied)
The exhibition began with an overview of Saudi Vision 2030, the Kingdom’s national transformation strategy, then introduced the country’s Saudi Green and Middle East Green initiatives, which were launched last year.
Noura Al-Issa, senior international policy analyst in climate change at the Ministry of Energy, told Arab News about the exhibition and the Kingdom’s commitment to clean energy and its green initiatives.
Regarding the exhibition she said that it “brings together all climate efforts in the Kingdom. Then we go into the Circular Carbon Economy. So we describe in detail what is the basis of our climate action (and the) nature-based solutions.”
The exhibition also includes a section titled Energy Now, which showcases electric cars and other important technologies. (Supplied)
Al-Issa said that the interactive journey showcases the massive transformation the Kingdom has already undergone since the launch of Vision 2030 in 2016, and contrasts that with its historical role as a major global exporter of oil.
“This sets the scene of the history of the Kingdom, how even if historically we have been oil exporters, we have always done so with sustainability in mind and always using technologies to make sure our oil is as clean as can be, even compared with other countries, … and very low intensity in terms of carbon,” she added.
The exhibition also includes a section titled Energy Now, which showcases electric cars and other important technologies.
“Energy Now talks about the different technologies that we view as being core in the future,” said Al-Issa. “So we know what we’ve done in the past and we know that we’ve always used technologies to tackle our challenges and we will continue to do so in the future.”
An electric car manufactured by American company Lucid Motors was on show at the event.
“It is an example of an investment that the Kingdom is making in a core technology for the future, as well as other examples in the materials and renewable sector,” Al-Issa said.
