Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) has recently assessed the levels of carbon emissions in the Kingdom in 2019 and the expected impact of the coronavirus pandemic on reducing carbon emissions in the atmosphere in 2020.
The analysis, carried out by KAPSARC, based on the data tracking CO2 emissions provided by Enerdata and the latest information on the impact of COVID-19 on energy consumption, suggests that carbon emissions in Saudi Arabia are set to decline by four percent during this year compared with 2019.
According to the study, a four percent decline is expected if the daily activities and the movement of economic sectors are back to normal in June,
However, a seven percent decline is expected if preventive measures, such as lockdown, are imposed until the end of the year, the study noted.
The analysis also estimated the stabilization of carbon emissions from fuel consumption in 2019 at 526.84 million tons of CO2 (MtCO2), a slight decrease of -0.04% compared with 2018.
The paper, entitled “Saudi Arabia’s CO2 Emissions Steady in 2019 Ahead of Expected 2020 Fall Due to COVID-19”, is co-authored by four researchers (Nicholas Howarth, Alessandro Lanza, Thamir Alshehri and Jan Braun).
According to the paper, the sector most affected has been transport with daily activity for aviation down between 20% and 75%, depending on the level of restrictions in place.
Meanwhile, the industrial sector was the third impacted sector, followed by the public buildings, commerce and power sectors.
The residential sector hasn’t been negatively affected by the preventive measures but is rather expected to increase by about five percent due to the increased use of air conditioners during the summer season, as people stay home most of the time, it added.
According to the paper, March and April 2020 have witnessed a decline in the daily global emissions by 17 percent, compared with the same period in 2019. Half of this fall was attributed to the transport sector.
The authors concluded that although this decline is temporary, the world now has the opportunity to build back better.
Stimulus measures can be brought in to help countries shift toward net-zero emissions goals, and activate innovative ideas such as the concept of the Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) adopted by Saudi Arabia during its G20 presidency, along with reducing desertification and increasing green areas.
It aims at significantly affecting the preservation of the environment and sustainability of natural resources.
Minister of Finance and Acting Minister of Economy and Planning Mohammed al-Jadaan addressed in a video on Saturday the High-Level Political Forum 2020, a United Nations forum dedicated to sustainable development.
He stressed that there is one lesson to be learned from this crisis, which is the need for joint cooperation and concerted global efforts to find effective solutions to meet the current challenges in light of the rapid and sudden changes that have impeded the desired progress for achieving social welfare, economic prosperity and environmental development.
