Abdulaziz bin Salman: Energy Security Essential to Growth, Facing Climate Challenges

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman during his participation on Wednesday in the LEAP Conference (Photo: Bashir Saleh)
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman during his participation on Wednesday in the LEAP Conference (Photo: Bashir Saleh)
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Abdulaziz bin Salman: Energy Security Essential to Growth, Facing Climate Challenges

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman during his participation on Wednesday in the LEAP Conference (Photo: Bashir Saleh)
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman during his participation on Wednesday in the LEAP Conference (Photo: Bashir Saleh)

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said Wednesday that the Kingdom was committed to its pledges to reduce carbon emissions and address the climate crisis.

He emphasized that energy security constituted a necessary basis for the prosperity of the global economy, and for achieving a smooth transition to deal with climate challenges.

The Saudi minister’s remarks came during a panel discussion, held within the framework of the business sessions of the LEAP International Technology Conference in Riyadh. The discussion, entitled “Technology for the Energy Transition”, was moderated by Lord Stephen Carter, former British Minister for Communications and CEO of Informa PLC.

Prince Abdulaziz noted that energy sustainability and the use and development of adequate technologies would help the Kingdom reach zero-net emissions in 2060.

He pointed to the role of the Saudi youth in achieving climate goals, saying: “The real story of the Kingdom is the ambitious, determined, and hopeful young generation. Thanks to this generation, the word ‘impossible’ will never be in our dictionary.”

The Saudi Minister of Energy stressed the need to engage positively in the conservation and purification of energy, and to reduce emissions, noting that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman presented great initiatives, including the Saudi Green Initiative, which aims to achieve zero emissions in 2060.

“Within this commitment, we hosted this conference that brought together the world of technicians in Riyadh, and launched programs that work effectively to reduce emissions,” he stated.

“Thanks to our low-cost production, whether in oil, gas or renewable energy, we will certainly be the least expensive producers of hydrogen, and our perseverance saved us in the OPEC Plus agreement,” Prince Abdulaziz said, noting that his country’s interest in nuclear energy comes within the framework of providing energy services at a lower price to those living in remote areas of the Kingdom.



Leading Garment Producer Bangladesh Holds Crisis Talks on US Tariffs

Textile and garment production accounts for about 80 percent of exports in Bangladesh. Munir UZ ZAMAN / AFP/File
Textile and garment production accounts for about 80 percent of exports in Bangladesh. Munir UZ ZAMAN / AFP/File
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Leading Garment Producer Bangladesh Holds Crisis Talks on US Tariffs

Textile and garment production accounts for about 80 percent of exports in Bangladesh. Munir UZ ZAMAN / AFP/File
Textile and garment production accounts for about 80 percent of exports in Bangladesh. Munir UZ ZAMAN / AFP/File

Bangladesh's interim leader called an emergency meeting on Saturday after textile leaders in the world's second-largest garment manufacturing nation said US tariffs were a "massive blow" to the key industry.Textile and garment production accounts for about 80 percent of exports in the South Asian country, and the industry has been rebuilding after it was hard hit in a revolution that toppled the government last year, said AFP.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday slapped punishing new tariffs of 37 percent on Bangladesh, hiking duties from the previous 16 percent on cotton and 32 percent on polyester products.

Bangladesh exports $8.4 billion of garments annually to the United States, according to data from the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), the national trade body.

That totals around 20 percent of Bangladesh's total ready-made garments exports.

Interim leader Muhammad Yunus "convened an emergency meeting... to discuss the US tariff issue," the government said in a statement.

Sheikh Bashiruddin, who holds the commerce portfolio in the government, told reporters after the meeting that Yunus "will raise the issue with the US administration".

Bashiruddin said he believed Bangladesh would "not be severely affected", adding that some other competitors faced "much higher than those on us".

Yunus' senior advisor Khalilur Rahman said the government had been readying for the tariff hike, and had begun talks with US officials in February.

"I have already spoken with several State Department officials," Rahman said on Saturday.

"The discussions are ongoing. We will take the necessary steps based on these discussions."

Bangladesh's tax authority, the National Board of Revenue, is also expected to meet to review the fallout from the tariffs.

Rakibul Alam Chowdhury, chairman of RDM Group, a major manufacturer with an estimated $25 million turnover, said on Thursday that the industry would lose trade.

"Buyers will go to other cost-competitive markets -- this is going to be a massive blow for our industry," he said.

Several garment factories produce clothing for the US market alone.

Anwar Hossain, administrator of the BGMEA, has told AFP that the industry was "not ready" for the tariff impact.

Bangladesh, the second-largest producer after China, manufactures garments for global brands -- including for US firms such as Gap Inc, Tommy Hilfiger and Levi Strauss.