Greening Deserts Using Engineering

Saudi Arabia, better known for its endless supply of oil and sand has now made its mark on the world of sustainable development with its new Saudi Green Initiative (SGI).

Considering the current state of the world’s climate, this initiative will come as a great inspiration and boost to the already persistent efforts for the other countries in the world. To outline their efforts, they plan to protect at least 30% of the global ocean in Marine Protected Areas (MPA’s) and Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECM’s) by 2030 by forming a Global Ocean Alliance. Furthermore, SGI’s mission plans to bring together environmental protection, energy transformation, and sustainability programs to tackle their goals of reducing emissions, greening Saudi, and protecting land and sea. This mission is to help fulfill the vision of a greener and more sustainable Saudi Arabia. The diagram below maps out their course of action for the net few decades.

Engineering consulting firms are providing the scientific and technological foundation for the strategic planning, for an optimized, sustainable, and ecologically viable increase in the vegetative footprint of Saudi Arabia. This will outline what species to plant where, when, by whom and why — as well as how to maintain the proposed implementation sustainably. This provides an integrated system of afforestation strategies and initiatives for the different habitats in the kingdom. Here is a more step-by-step detail how they are planning on achieving their targets

The core challenges in the afforestation program of the Saudi Green Initiative are plant survivability and ecological sustainability. Water, of course, is central.?This initiative is tasked with planting 10 billion trees across Saudi Arabia — turning the desert green and rehabilitating 40 million hectares of land over the coming decades. In addition to carbon sequestration, tree planting can improve air quality, reduce sandstorms, combat desertification, and lower temperatures in adjacent areas.

It is important for us to understand how our governments are working towards climate change and addressing this issue. How are you contributing to making a difference and living a sustainable life?

Varun is an intern at Uyir Engineering. He is passionate about architecture, engineering, protecting the environment and creating a sustainable future for all.

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