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Saudi Initiatives Contributing to Creating a Sustainable Future Through Space

Expected space economy revenues to reach around one trillion dollars by 2040 (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Expected space economy revenues to reach around one trillion dollars by 2040 (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Initiatives Contributing to Creating a Sustainable Future Through Space

Expected space economy revenues to reach around one trillion dollars by 2040 (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Expected space economy revenues to reach around one trillion dollars by 2040 (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia has achieved 96% of the targets set by the “Connect 2030” program, established by the International Telecommunication Union. This program aims to attain the Sustainable Development Goals by leveraging communication and technological services.

 

According to a report released by Saudi Arabia’s Communications, Space and Technology Commission on Sunday, the Kingdom is making significant strides in contributing to a sustainable future through space initiatives.

Saudi Arabia has accomplished a 100% success rate in various domains under the “Connect 2030” program, notably in terms of inclusivity by bridging the digital divide and providing widespread access to broadband services.

Additionally, the Kingdom excelled in forming partnerships by enhancing collaboration between International Telecommunication Union members and all stakeholders to support strategic objectives.

Saudi Arabia also achieved a 100% growth rate by enabling and enhancing access to communication and technology, fostering the digital economy, society, and promoting innovation in communications and technology to support societal digital transformation.

In terms of sustainability, Saudi Arabia scored 80% in risk management, addressing challenges and emerging opportunities resulting from the rapid growth of communications and technology.

According to the report, there were 87 local digital products launched in the past year, with 11 companies accepted, including five international ones.

The Communications, Space and Technology Commission had declared that Saudi Arabia is the world’s first country to successfully test the fifth-generation technology using a high-altitude platform system.

During the past year, the Kingdom advanced the principles of sustainability, making strides in empowering women and promoting environmental initiatives and renewable energy.

The telecommunications, space, and technology sector played a significant role in numerous achievements, including launching initiatives to reduce electronic waste and carbon emissions, expanding communication services to bridge the digital divide and facilitate modern technologies, as well as building capacity and empowering women.

The representation of women in leadership positions in the telecommunications and technology sector reached 23.60%, and 41,000 women were empowered to seize new opportunities.

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Italy Forges on with World's Largest Suspension Bridge

(FILES) A general aerial view shows the Sicilian coast towards Cape Torre Faro, over the Strait of Messina, taken from the outskirts of the town of Scilla, in Calabria region in southern Italy, on July 7, 2020. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)
(FILES) A general aerial view shows the Sicilian coast towards Cape Torre Faro, over the Strait of Messina, taken from the outskirts of the town of Scilla, in Calabria region in southern Italy, on July 7, 2020. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)
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Italy Forges on with World's Largest Suspension Bridge

(FILES) A general aerial view shows the Sicilian coast towards Cape Torre Faro, over the Strait of Messina, taken from the outskirts of the town of Scilla, in Calabria region in southern Italy, on July 7, 2020. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)
(FILES) A general aerial view shows the Sicilian coast towards Cape Torre Faro, over the Strait of Messina, taken from the outskirts of the town of Scilla, in Calabria region in southern Italy, on July 7, 2020. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)

Italy hopes to begin constructing the world's largest suspension bridge connecting Sicily to the Italian mainland this summer amid widespread skepticism that it will ever be built.

The 13.5-billion-euro ($15.3-billion) project would carry trains and six lanes of traffic, allowing cars to cross the Strait of Messina in 15 minutes, AFP reported.

Giorgia Meloni's hard-right government hopes to boost the economy of the impoverished region, although critics say there are better ways to do this -- and many believe that after decades of false starts, the bridge will never actually happen.

The choppy waters between the eastern tip of Sicily and the western edge of the region of Calabria are legendary as the place where monsters Scylla and Charybdis terrified sailors in Homer's epic poem "The Odyssey".

These days the challenges are more prosaic, from winds of more than 100 kilometers an hour (62 mph) to the real risk of earthquakes in a region that lies across two tectonic plates.

The government says the bridge will be at the cutting edge of engineering, with the section suspended between its two pillars stretching 3.3 kilometers, the longest in the world.

But critics point to a long history of public works announced, financed and never completed in Italy, whether due to corruption or political instability, resulting in enormous losses for taxpayers.

"The public does not trust this political class and these projects that become endless construction sites," said Luigi Storniolo, a member of protest group No Ponte (No Bridge).

Infrastructure Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, one of the main champions of the project, insists it will be a game-changer for the local economy.

"The bridge will be a catalyst for development," he said on a recent visit to Reggio di Calabria, the city where the bridge will begin.

The government hopes to boost trade in Sicily, which currently suffers from an "insularity cost" of around 6.5 billion euros a year, according to regional authorities.

Meloni's ministers are expected to give their final approval to the project -- which Rome will fund -- later this month, and Salvini insists construction will begin this summer.

But work had already been announced for the summer of 2024, before being postponed -- a common theme in the history of the bridge, the idea of which dates back to the unification of Italy at the end of the 19th century.