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Saudi Arabia, Spain to Boost Investments in Mega Environmental Projects

Participants in a dialogue session during the Saudi-Spanish Investment Forum in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Participants in a dialogue session during the Saudi-Spanish Investment Forum in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia, Spain to Boost Investments in Mega Environmental Projects

Participants in a dialogue session during the Saudi-Spanish Investment Forum in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Participants in a dialogue session during the Saudi-Spanish Investment Forum in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia announced its mega projects to achieve the environmental goals of the Saudi Green and the Middle East Green Initiatives and the goals of net zero emissions.

The Kingdom hosted a Saudi-Spanish Investment Forum attended by a delegation from Madrid chaired by Minister of State for Energy Sara Munoz. It also included several officials, investors, and representatives of Spanish commercial companies.

Saudi Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture Abdulrahman al-Fadhli announced the most prominent sectors targeted in the Kingdom to investors from Spain, focusing on green energy, agricultural technology, defense, security, and tourism.

Fadhli indicated that the Forum aims to enable commercial partnerships between the two countries and explore investment opportunities.

The Minister indicated that the Green Initiatives launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Kingdom's goal of net zero emissions by 2060, sustainability, and more efficient desalination methods could only be completed in partnership with the expertise of the private sector.

Fadhli stated that the Forum provides an excellent opportunity to create more effective dialogues and explore tangible ideas leading to investment development.

He asserted that the Kingdom is looking forward to continued and fruitful cooperation with Spain.

Saudi Arabia aims to become one of the 15 largest economies in the world, which requires a gross domestic product of $1.7 trillion in 2030, said the Minister, adding that the Kingdom wants to increase recycling by 42 percent and establish new facilities to manage 106 million tons of waste by 2035.

He announced that waste-related projects create 77,000 jobs and contribute $32 million to the Kingdom's GDP.

Fadhli added that the first quarter of 2022 represents the best period for the Saudi economy in over a decade.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted that the Kingdom would witness the second fastest growth this year, revealing that foreign direct investment increased 257.2 percent over the past year, representing 2.3 percent of GDP.

Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed al-Khateeb revealed that Saudi Arabia aims to attract 70 million international and local visitors, stressing that tourism in the Kingdom is one of the fastest growing and most attractive sectors globally.

Khateeb indicated that the tourism sector in Saudi Arabia witnessed record developments during the past year, calling for more Spanish companies to join the international partners working in the Kingdom.

The Saudi-Spanish Investment Forum reviewed investment opportunities in the most notable significant projects in the Kingdom, including NEOM, Red Sea, ROSHN, and the Diriyah region.

The sessions also touched on the latest developments and opportunities in key sectors such as water, transportation, infrastructure, hospitality management, innovation, and technology.

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Fire, Smoke Upend Western Canada’s Summer Tourism Season

A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
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Fire, Smoke Upend Western Canada’s Summer Tourism Season

A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)

Severe wildfire seasons are increasingly hurting western Canada's lucrative tourism industry, with some visitors beginning to avoid the busy late-summer months due to concerns about uncontrolled blazes, smoke-filled skies and road closures.

After a scorching start to July, nearly 600 wildfires are now ablaze across British Columbia and Alberta, including a huge fire that this week devastated the picturesque tourist town of Jasper in the Canadian Rockies.

Dozens of communities, including popular holiday spots in British Columbia's Kootenay region, are under evacuation orders and several highways are closed.

This year's surge in wildfire activity comes after Canada endured its worst-ever year for wildfires in 2023, when more than 15 million hectares (37 million acres) burned, including parts of the city of West Kelowna in the heart of British Columbia's wine region.

Ellen Walker-Matthews, head of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, said the industry was seeing a lot more last-minute travel decisions instead of booking in advance.

"It's a huge blow. July and August are traditionally the busiest months in the region," said Walker-Matthews, adding that while her region has been relatively unscathed by wildfires this summer, some visitors are choosing to avoid interior British Columbia altogether.

The members of the British Columbia Lodging and Campgrounds Association are reporting a 5-15% drop in bookings from a year ago, with the biggest declines coming from the hotter Okanagan and Cariboo regions, said Joss Penny, who heads the association.

"The concern is that this is something we have to live with and we have it every year now," said Penny.

Although wildfires in Canada's forests are natural and common, scientists say drier, hotter conditions fueled by climate change are leading to more volatile and frequent blazes.

'SMOKEY SKIES'

Some events, like the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival, usually held in August, have now been rescheduled to earlier in the summer to avoid what is now seen as peak smoke season. The festival, which was cancelled last year due to nearby wildfires, was this year moved to July to benefit from "less smokey skies."

Wildfires and extreme climatic events are prompting tourists to "change their plans not just temporarily, but permanently," said Elizabeth Halpenny, a tourism researcher and professor at the University of Alberta, noting that seasonal workers in the sector are often the hardest hit as they have few protections during a bad season or amid a cataclysmic fire.

Tourism contributed C$7.2 billion to the British Columbia economy in 2022, and C$9.9 billion to Alberta in 2023, according to the latest government data.

Jasper National Park is one of Canada's premier tourist destinations, with more than 2 million visitors a year flocking to see its pristine mountain landscapes and abundant wildlife, including grizzly bears, moose and elk.

Kelly Torrens, vice-president of product at international tour company Kensington Tours, described western Canada as a bucket-list destination. But the company now has 49 trips that were supposed to pass through Jasper this season in limbo. Six others were forced to evacuate the park when the fire hit.

Parks Canada has cancelled all camping reservations within Jasper National Park until Aug. 6 and with potentially 50% of the town's structures destroyed by fire, the cleanup and rebuild could take years.

Halpenny is among those hedging their bets.

"I've booked a campsite stay in the mountain parks but at the same time, I booked a campsite out on the prairie somewhere and that's my backup plan because I don't want to miss out on my vacation with my family."