Saudi Arabia Stresses Importance of Energy Transition to Address Climate Challenges

Riyadh proceeds with the implementation of the Green Saudi Initiative in support of addressing climate challenges. (SPA)
Riyadh proceeds with the implementation of the Green Saudi Initiative in support of addressing climate challenges. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Stresses Importance of Energy Transition to Address Climate Challenges

Riyadh proceeds with the implementation of the Green Saudi Initiative in support of addressing climate challenges. (SPA)
Riyadh proceeds with the implementation of the Green Saudi Initiative in support of addressing climate challenges. (SPA)

The Saudi Ministry of Energy emphasized the importance of the global energy transition to address climate challenges and the expansion of international cooperation to support sustainable development and the zero emissions target.

Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman held a meeting via video conference on Thursday with the Minister of Environment and Climate Action of Portugal, Duarte Cordeiro.

The two officials discussed the importance of supporting the stability of global oil markets by encouraging dialogue and cooperation between producing and consuming countries, and the need to ensure the security of power supply.

The two officials touched on cooperation in various energy fields, such as clean hydrogen and renewable energy, and the security and reliability of electrical systems.

They also underlined their keenness to advance cooperation through the imminent signing of a memorandum of understanding in the field of energy.

The meeting emphasized Saudi Arabia’s reliable role as partner and one of the countries exporting crude oil to Portugal.

The two ministers agreed that energy transition was an important element in addressing energy and climate challenges, noting that this issue would be the focus of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), which kicks off on Sunday in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

This comes as Saudi Arabia advanced 10 places in the Green Future Index for 2022.

Issued by the MIT Technology Review of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Index highlighted Saudi Arabia’s 10 place advancement, following leading programs and initiatives led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

In a report, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) noted that the Kingdom’s rapid progress in the Green Future Index crowns the efforts, programs, and initiatives, which include the Saudi and Middle East Green Initiatives (SGI & MGI) and the establishment of royal natural reserves to increase vegetation in the Kingdom.



World Leaders Descend on Azerbaijan’s Capital Baku for United Nations Climate Talks

 Leaders arrive for a group photo at the COP29 UN Climate Summit, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP)
Leaders arrive for a group photo at the COP29 UN Climate Summit, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP)
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World Leaders Descend on Azerbaijan’s Capital Baku for United Nations Climate Talks

 Leaders arrive for a group photo at the COP29 UN Climate Summit, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP)
Leaders arrive for a group photo at the COP29 UN Climate Summit, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP)

World leaders are converging Tuesday at the United Nations annual climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan although the big names and powerful countries are noticeably absent, unlike past climate talks which had the star power of a soccer World Cup.

But 2024's climate talks are more like the World Chess Federation finals, lacking the recognizable names but big on nerd power and strategy. The top leaders of the 13 largest carbon dioxide-polluting countries will not appear with their countries responsible for more than 70% of 2023's heat-trapping gases.

Biggest polluters and strongest economies China and the United States aren't sending their No. 1s. The four most populous nations with more than 42% of all the world's population aren't having leaders speak.

“It’s symptomatic of the lack of political will to act. There’s no sense of urgency,” said climate scientist Bill Hare, CEO of Climate Analytics. He said this explains “the absolute mess we’re finding ourselves in.”

On Tuesday, Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev, United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are the headliners of among the nearly 50 leaders set to speak.

But there'll be a strong showing expected from the leaders of some of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries. Several small island nations presidents and over a dozen leaders from countries across Africa are set to speak over the two-day World Leaders’ Summit at the COP29 conference.