Saudi Arabia says it aims for carbon neutrality by 2060

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman delivers a speech from his office at the opening ceremony of the Saudi Green Initiative Forum in Riyadh on October 23, 2021. via REUTERS - SAUDI ROYAL COURT

Text by: RFI Follow

3 min

This is a resounding announcement for one of the biggest polluters in the world.

At an environmental summit in Riyadh on Saturday, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman announced his goal of carbon neutrality by 2060.

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"

 ", which aims to increase the efficiency of resource use and reduce the impact on the environment, said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a speech at the Saudi Green Initiative forum in Riyadh.

It is the second country in the Gulf region to aim for zero net greenhouse gas emissions.

After the

Saudi Arabia has also set itself this goal, however ten years older than its neighbor.

The kingdom will invest in this strategy more than 180 billion dollars.

The plan is based on "

 " Mohammed bin Salman said.

The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia also added that he would preserve "

 ", indicates our correspondent in Dubai,  

Despite these good intentions, the world's largest exporter of crude oil should therefore produce and export as much in the future.

At least, as long as his resources allow it.

Because the end of the oil era is fast approaching in Saudi Arabia.

Diversifying its economy and energy resources has therefore become Riyadh's number one priority.  

The authorities of the kingdom have also added that they would participate in the international effort to reduce global emissions of methane - among the most well-known greenhouse gases - by 30% by 2030. Relatively important country in terms of of carbon, Saudi Arabia emits around 600 million tonnes of CO2 per year, more than France but slightly less than Germany (800 million tonnes).

For its part, energy giant Saudi Aramco, which is subject to scrutiny by investors for its emissions, pledged on Saturday to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

"A one-way ticket to a disaster"

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday warned that the current climate situation was "

 ticket to

" and stressed the need to "

" at COP26 in Glasgow, October 31 to November 12 .

► To read also: Global warming: the UN sounds the alarm on the production of fossil fuels

On Twitter, the president of COP26, Briton

, called

Saudi Arabia's announcement

“ 

” and expressed the hope that it will encourage other countries to make efforts.

Carbon neutrality means that a country does not emit more greenhouse gases, responsible for global warming, than it can absorb through, for example, tree plantations or CO2 capture technologies directly in the country. atmosphere.

In March, Riyadh unveiled a broad campaign to cut emissions, including a plan to

over the next decades.

And the crown prince said on Saturday that his country initially planned to plant more than 450 million trees.

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• Saudi Arabia

• Environment

• Climate change

• Mohammed bin salman

• COP26