Riyadh City Named Arab Environment Capital

Riyadh has earned the name of “Arab Environment Capital.” It’s no surprise with its impressive green initiatives. The Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment (CAMRE) announced the news during their 35^th session. The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture worked with the Arab League to gather leaders from Arab countries.

The CAMRE focuses on fostering collaboration among Arab countries to address environmental issues. They develop policies and strategies to promote sustainable development and enhance environmental awareness and education. Moreover, CAMRE implements regional and international environmental agreements, ensuring the region is united in its environmental protection approach.

Committed to combating environmental challenges

At the session, Minister Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli spoke about the kingdom’s dedication to achieving its Vision 2030 goals. The event also discussed topics such as biodiversity, climate change, and cooperation to execute international agreements.

“We are committed to combating environmental challenges and hope the outcomes of this session will help garner international support for restoring degraded lands and increasing resilience to drought,” he said.

The Minister also emphasized the importance of the teamwork of Arab countries and international organizations to achieve environmental sustainability. In December, Riyadh will host the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. Moreover, he also emphasized the importance of the government working with the private sector for a successful conference.

Ibrahim Thiaw, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification’s executive secretary, noted the region’s water crisis. He pointed out that it holds only 2 percent of the world’s renewable water resources. Thereby, it was one of the regions most affected by desertification and drought.

He called on leaders to invest in land restoration, fortifying the region against future droughts to meet growing food demand.

On track to a greener Riyadh

Riyadh is on track with its Riyadh Green initiative objective of planting 7.5 million trees across the city. The initiative also aims to increase green cover up to 9 percent from 1.5 percent. In addition, it also strives to increase its green space area per capita by 16 times, from 1.7 square meters to 28 square meters.

The Riyadh Green initiative is just one of the kingdom’s four giga-projects which King Salman bin Abdulaziz announced in 2019. These other projects include the King Salman Park, Sports Boulevard, and Riyadh Art.

King Salman Park will become the largest urban park in the world. The mega park will cover an area of more than 11 square kilometers of green areas such as forests, gardens, and meadows.

The Sports Boulevard, meanwhile, is a futuristic urban environment over 135 kilometers along Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Road.

On the other hand, Riyadh Art will feature more than 1,000 artworks and landmarks made by local and international artists. Residents and visitors will see these artworks installed in public areas such as residential neighborhoods, gardens, parks, and bus stations.

Aside from the Riyadh Green Initiative, the Saudi Green Initiative has been instrumental in establishing a greener Saudi Arabia. For instance, since its launch in 2021, it has planted over 95 million trees across the kingdom. It aims to increase green cover, reduce carbon emissions, and enhance biodiversity.

Photo by Qays AbduRahman on Unsplash