On the second day of the G20 Leaders Summit, which was held virtually in Saudi Arabia, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz called on the world to join efforts his country was exerting to ensure energy competency in order to reduce carbon emissions.
Later that day, during the closing statement of the summit, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman underscored the group’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions to protect the planet. He vowed that his country will continue to assess its situation and amend and develop its plans whenever the need arises.
The Kingdom has, through the summit, raised the alarm over the ecological threat that has become more dangerous than nuclear wars, whose shadow had terrified the world throughout the Cold War.
Indeed, international reports keep pouring in about the impending danger to mankind from climate change, starting with global warming. Other reports have spoken of the impending ecological day of judgment, citing the rising temperatures on the planet that have increased sharply at record rates in the past two decades.
The terrible climate change will have massive losses on economic growth and people. The danger can take the shape of a devastating disaster only seen in science fiction movies. One need only observe the changes in the environment and planet, such as increased tsunamis, drought and melting ice caps, that will all impact human life.
For two decades, scientists have shouted loudly to save mankind and the planet. However, greed for earth’s resources blinded countries, especially the rich, and they disregarded the impact their actions have on global warming, exacerbating pollution throughout the planet.
The voice of reason rose up on the second day of the G20 Leaders Summit. It was King Salman, who stressed the need to pave the way to establishing a strong, comprehensive, balanced and sustainable economy through the empowerment of man and protecting the planet.
The Kingdom’s call demands innovative ideas to confront the dangers and seeks the development of sustainable, realistic and cost-effective approaches to achieve climate goals.
The Kingdom’s experience in combating climate change dates back to 2012 when it launched its National Energy Efficiency Program as part of efforts to reduce emissions in line with the circular carbon economy (CCE). CCE is defined as an integrated and inclusive approach to transitioning toward more comprehensive, resilient, sustainable, and climate-friendly energy systems that support and enable sustainable development. This will in turn, bolster the security and stability of the energy markets.
Saudi Arabia has presented a good example of applying such an approach through its declaration of the launch of the national program for CCE. And since the Kingdom seeks to set examples, it called on other countries to work with it to achieve the goals of this program.
The future of the Kingdom is longer limited to Vision 2030. The world has instead discovered that it has ambitions that stretch to 2040, including plans to preserve a billion hectares of territories that will be employed for sustainable purposes. Furthermore, Saudi Arabia has set its sights on renewable energy, especially solar and wind power. By 2030 solar power will provide the country with 50 percent if its energy needs.
In conclusion, the Saudi ecological vision is the safe path for mankind’s salvation.
