Saudi Arabia launches Circular Carbon Economy National Program

King Salman bin Abdulaziz has disclosed plan by Saudi Arabia to formally launch a dedicated Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) National Program.

While disclosing this at a G20 Side Event on “Safeguarding the Planet: The CCE Approach”, on Sunday November 22, 2020, Abdulaziz stated that the program “will consolidate and accelerate the current momentum toward sustainability in a historic manner.”

“We ask other nations to work with us to help achieve the goals of this program,” he said, stressing that “safeguarding the planet is of critical importance.”

“In 2012, we launched the Saudi Energy Efficiency program, a cornerstone of emission reduction within the framework of CCE.

In the Kingdom we have many existing initiatives that capture carbon and turn it into valuable feedstock,” King Salman added during the virtual summit.

“This includes the world’s largest CO2 purification plant built by the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) with a capacity of 500,000 tons per year and Saudi Aramco’s enhanced oil recovery plan. Likewise, in NEOM we are developing the largest green hydrogen plant,” he continued.

Recognizing the important role of nature-based carbon sequestration, the Kingdom has been advocating the ambitious goal of conserving, restoring and sustainably managing 1 billion hectares of degraded land by 2040.

“In addition, we have great plans for renewables, including wind and solar which will generate 50 percent of the country’s electricity by 2030,” stressed King Salman.

“The Presidency remains committed in its efforts to safeguarding the planet by preserving coral reefs, ocean ecosystems, and taking concrete actions to tackle land degradation and habitat loss. With a coordinated approach on environment, we ensure the G20 countries commitment to build a more inclusive, more sustainable and more resilient future,” a statement released by the G20 reads.

World leaders participating in the event included Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and US President Donald Trump.

“The existential threat posed by climate change, land degradation and the decline of global biodiversity has already brought us to a crossroad, one that will determine whether we are able to safeguard our planet and a build a sustainable future.

“I am convinced the G20 can lead the world in the right direction,” said Conte, whose country will chair the G20 in 2021.

“We must preserve the majesty of God’s creation. Together, we can protect our environment, promote access to clean, affordable energy, and deliver a future of opportunity, prosperity, and hope for our nations all over the world,” remarked Trump.

“The G20 should continue to take the lead in tackling climate change. China supports deepening G20 coordination in reducing land degradation, conserving coral reefs, and cleaning up plastic from the ocean. Let us work together for a clean and beautiful world,” stated Xi.