Saudi Arabia’s Green Initiative: How Will We Achieve These Goals?

Last month’s announcement by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of a Green Initiative was both exciting and ambitious. The Kingdom has long sought to lead the region on important issues, and here it was again with a clear vision on how it would seek to drive forward-thinking national, regional and global environmental goals.

If you missed the announcement, let me spend a moment summarizing the key points:

1. Plant ten billion trees in Saudi Arabia and fifty billion throughout the Middle East;
2. Cut carbon dioxide emissions in the Middle East by over 60%;
3. Renewables will produce 50% of Saudi Arabia’s electricity by 2030;
4. Divert up to 94% of rubbish away from landfill;
5. Increase protected areas to more than 30%, and
6. Eliminate over 130 million tonnes of carbon emissions using clean hydrocarbon technology.

These goals are unprecedented in the region, in particular the renewable energy and carbon emission targets. As of today, seven percent of the energy produced throughout the Middle East is clean. And 130 million tonnes of carbon emissions is equivalent to four percent of the world’s total annual CO2 output.

There’s no other way to put it. The Crown Prince and Saudi government have set the standard for what we all should be aiming for. But where should we begin? As a company that has been ranked the number one organization globally for sustainability by Corporate Knights, I’d like to share my view on what can and should be done when it comes to sustainable living.

We Must Decarbonize Our Buildings

Let’s start with the basics, with the low-hanging fruit if you will. Buildings presently account for approximately 40% of the world’s energy consumption, and that figure is on the rise. Beyond energy use, buildings also are responsible for nearly half of all greenhouse gasses, specifically carbon dioxide. At this time, investing in greener and more efficient buildings will enhance the construction industry in particular and the economy in general.

Saudi Arabia is taking the right steps when it comes to making our buildings greener. In 2019 the Kingdom introduced a green building rating system called Mostadam, which was developed with assistance from the country’s Ministry of Housing and sustainable cleantech consultancy firm Alpin. The standard will be applied to all residential buildings, communities and commercial buildings. What we also need to think about is how do we retrofit older buildings, many of which will be used for decades to come. And how do we help companies access funding that’ll enable them to make their buildings more efficient? Both are key considerations for what is the most carbon-intensive sector in the region.

The Need for Clean Transportation

There’s also the issue of transportation, and the need to go electric. We’ve seen major progress made in the past year, with the approval of new regulations for commercial vehicles. But what we do need to invest in is an infrastructure network for electric vehicle chargers. I’m also optimistic here, given the investments made by the Public Investment Fund into EV firms like Lucid. It’d be a huge statement of intent of Lucid were to open up a factory in the Kingdom to produce electric vehicles. We also need to incentivize their purchase and use, as well as provide financial support for the installation of chargers.

Smart Living and Sustainability

And then there’s the impact of how we all live on the environment. Digital technologies can help reduce our carbon footprint. Let’s talk smart homes. Smart home automation can significantly cut a building’s energy and water usage. While we all may be using more electricity-powered devices, by using artificial intelligence smart home solutions can learn the patterns of those living in the home and switch on or off devices based on our routines. With a glance at our phone, we’ll know how much energy and water is being consumed and what the cost of that energy and water is. Given the rising cost of both, homeowners, utilities and governments will look at better, more efficient ways to reduce our environmental footprint and make living more sustainable.

These ideas may sound far off, but they’re already in the design stages in projects such as Neom. This 500-billion-dollar initiative, which is the cornerstone of the Saudi Vision 2030 and has been described as the biggest urban project in the world today, will reimagine how we live, and much of that will focus attention on our homes. THE LINE takes sustainable living even further and is another bold idea that Saudi Arabia wants to achieve.

There’s more I could say, and I am sure I will come back to these topics in the coming months. This announcement is the start of the journey, and we have much to achieve. We will succeed by ensuring that government, the public and industry work together. As Schneider Electric, we are ready to play our part.