ESG

RIYADH TAKES MAJOR STEP IN REALISING 7.5M TREE PROJECT

The Green Riyadh programme received a big boost in July with the launch of a new initiative focused on planting trees.

Saudi Arabia’s capital city is laying down 1,350 kilometres of water pipes to carry 1.7 million cubic meters of treated water daily to irrigate 7.5 million trees around the metropolis. The aim is to achieve sustainable green spaces for Green Riyadh projects and other development projects in the city. Construction has begun to build 1.2- to 2.4-metre pipes using the latest technologies and practices to speed up work without aecting trac in the city.

Among the technologies adopted is control and monitoring of the water networks remotely, and using 100% treated water for irrigation, creating a circular economy

The water networks laid out as part of the Green Riyadh project will serve many megaprojects in the city, such as the Public Investment Fund, the Diriyah Gate Development Authority, the King Salman Park, the Sports Boulevard, and the King Abdulaziz Public Transport Project.

The overarching goal of the project is to plant more than 7.5 million trees in Riyadh, expanding its green coverage to 9.1%, and increasing the per capita share of green spaces from 1.7 square metres (m2) to 28m2, 16 times its current level. The planting spree in Riyadh is part of the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative of planting 10 billion trees nationwide in the next few decades.

   

MARINE PROTECTION

The country has also pledged to protect its maritime riches. At the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Saudi’s acting delegate Hayat bint Abdulaziz Al-Yabis armed the kingdom’s commitment to its three initiatives – GloFouling, GloLitter, and IMO CARES – to preserve marine environment and biodiversity

“GloFouling works towards addressing biofouling, the spread of invasive species, with the objective of protecting marine environments. GloLitter is concerned with protecting the marine environment from plastic waste of all kinds to enhance the protection and preservation of aquatic life,” according to the Saudi Press Agency. The initiatives targets support to least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS).

The third project, IMO CARES is co-ordinated action to reduce emission accelerate access to green technologies, grow the blue economy, and ensure harmonisation of joint work within one international system to protect all marine areas around the world.

Indeed, a new maritime survey focused on the kingdom’s Red Sea region revealed that the area along the Red Sea coast was home to many threatened and endangered species, and have established breeding grounds across it – highlighting the importance of environmental protection and regeneration eorts by Red Sea Global and others in the region.

As such, Red Sea Global, which is developing ambitious regenerative tourism projects in the area, has pledged to push beyond conservation and explore innovative ways to regenerate the natural ecosystems in which they operate.

“We've set a quantifiable target of achieving a 30% net conservation benefit by 2040, and we will continue to publish annual updates that measure our progress toward this ambitious goal. Key to that is setting a baseline from which we track progress, and ensuring we are fully informed and understand the incredible biodiversity that surrounds our developments," said John Pagano, Group CEO of Red Sea Global.

 

RIYADH DECLARATION

Saudi Arabia is building its environmental credentials not just at home but also internationally. It has led eorts to raise environmental challenges faced by Arab states and Pacific islands through the Riyadh Declaration.

At the Second Ministerial Meeting between members of the League of Arab States and the Pacific Small Island Developing States issued the “Riyadh Declaration” document.

The meeting noted that the Pacific Islands Forum has declared a climate emergency in the Pacific region. Members agreed to work together in implementing the Paris Agreement and called for stronger and more ambitious climate action to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels and call for collective eorts for the provision of financial, technology transfer and capacity building support for developing countries, as well as additional and accessible finance addressing climate change.

“The meeting stressed the importance of keeping the maritime resources free from environmental pollution by radioactive wastes and other radioactive matters as well as from plastics. The meeting also stressed the importance of ensuring international consultation, adherence to international law and independent and verifiable scientific assessment to protect, preserve and sustainably manage the ocean and its marine resources,” the Riyadh Declaration stated. “The meeting also stressed the centrality of providing finance and technology transfers with respect to environmental issues, in order to implement the just transition to environmentally sound economic activities.”