Latest news with #MiddleEastGreenInitiative
Leaders
15-07-2025
- Business
- Leaders
GACA President Joins Global Aviation Leaders at Singapore's Aviation Week
Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) and the Executive Council of the Arab Civil Aviation Organization (ACAO), took part in Singapore's High-Level Aviation Week, held from July 13 to 18. Hosted by the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Singapore, the event brought together ministers, senior officials, and industry leaders from the aviation and maritime sectors to discuss current and emerging challenges in global transport. GACA During a high-level session, Al-Duailej highlighted pressing issues facing the global aviation industry, particularly the need to manage the rapidly growing demand for air travel. He referenced Airports Council International (ACI) projections, which forecast global passenger traffic to reach 12 billion by 2030. This growth, he explained, places significant pressure on infrastructure, regulatory systems, supply chains, workforce capacity, and sustainability efforts. Al-Duailej also addressed regional dynamics in the Middle East, emphasizing the complexities of airspace closures and the potential for innovation in response. Moreover, he cited Saudi Arabia's success in rerouting approximately 41,000 flights in recent months as evidence of the region's adaptability and operational coordination. He further underscored the importance of workforce development and regional collaboration to maintain safe and efficient air traffic management. Sustainability Initiatives, Environmental Leadership In discussing environmental stewardship, Al-Duailej highlighted the Middle East Green Initiative as a model for regional cooperation on climate action. Additionally, he detailed key programs under GACA's Civil Aviation Environmental Sustainability Program, including the establishment of carbon-neutral airports, such as Red Sea International Airport, which uses sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Other initiatives include planting one million trees across airport sites by 2030, implementing waste sorting and recycling systems, and forming international partnerships to promote sustainability best practices. Strengthening International Airport Collaboration As part of the event, Al-Duailej attended the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Jeddah Airports Company and Changi Airport Group. The agreement aims to enhance cooperation in critical areas such as passenger experience, operational efficiency, safety standards, air connectivity, and airport technology. Finally, this partnership reflects a shared commitment to innovation and excellence in airport management. Related Topics: GASTAT Reports 13.4% Growth in Non-Oil Exports in Q1 2025, 10.7% Increase in March ROSHN Green Initiative Center: Inspiring Future Environmental Leaders Saudi Arabia Welcomes Foreign Real Estate Investors Outside Holy Cities All You Need to Know about Hajj Rituals: A Step-by-Step Guide Short link : Post Views: 7
Saudi Gazette
13-07-2025
- Climate
- Saudi Gazette
Saudi Arabia identifies key dust storm hotspots
Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's Regional Center for Sand and Dust Storms has identified six primary zones as the main sources of dust formation in the Kingdom, as part of its broader efforts to mitigate the impact of increasing sandstorms. The identified areas include: the Al-Jafurah region, Nafud Al-Thuwairat, the Hasma Plateau, the western fringes of the Empty Quarter (Rub' al Khali), the southwestern edge of the Tuwaiq Escarpment, and the southern Red Sea coastline. While satellite data indicates a slight decline in overall atmospheric dust levels, experts warn that sandstorm frequency and intensity could rise due to climate change. In response, Saudi Arabia is advancing environmental policies aligned with the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative. As part of its international environmental commitments, the Kingdom launched a five-year global initiative worth $10 million to strengthen early warning systems for sand and dust storms. The initiative aligns with Saudi Arabia's climate adaptation framework and aims to bolster regional resilience. Dust storms pose a significant threat not only to infrastructure — damaging power lines, telecom networks, and industrial machinery — but also to sustainable development goals. The United Nations has classified sandstorms as a major obstacle to economic, environmental, and social stability. To address root causes, Saudi Arabia is pressing ahead with its ambitious goal to plant 10 billion trees nationwide, a reforestation drive covering roughly 74 million hectares. The strategy aims to restore ecological functions, reduce desertification, and improve air quality across the Kingdom.
Leaders
12-07-2025
- Science
- Leaders
UN Sand & Dust Storms Meeting: Saudi Arabia's Efforts Gain Recognition
Saudi Arabia has gained global recognition for its international efforts in bolstering early-warning systems for sand and dust storms. The High-level Meeting on Sand and Dust Storms, which took place at the UN headquarters in New York, also praised the Kingdom's role in spearheading regional cooperation. The meeting convened in the context of the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms, marked on July 12 each year. International Recognition The high-level meeting hailed the Kingdom's global initiative to boost early-warning systems for sand and dust storms, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). It also highlighted Saudi Arabia's cooperation with regional centers affiliated with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to strengthen dust combat, pointing to the Kingdom's $10 million commitment over 5 years to enhance the capabilities of the vulnerable countries. Unwavering Commitment On its part, Saudi Arabia underscored its firm commitment to supporting climate and environmental action, and fostering scientific and technical cooperation to tackle the impacts of sand and dust storms, on the local, regional and international levels. These initiatives come in line with the Kingdom's strategic vision and ongoing efforts to protect the environment and achieve sustainability. On this occasion, the deputy CEO of the National Center for Meteorology (NCM) and Executive Chief of the Sand and Dust Storm Regional Center, Jumaan Al-Qahtani, outlined the Kingdom's efforts to combat dust storms under Saudi Vision 2030. These efforts include the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI), the Middle East Green Initiative, and the establishment of specialized centers such as the Regional Center for Sand and Dust Storms, the Climate Change Center, the Cloud Seeding Program, and the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development. Saudi Arabia's Efforts Al-Qahtani highlighted the establishment of the Regional Center for Dust and Sand Storms in Jeddah in 2022, which marked a strategic milestone toward improving dust storms' prediction and strengthening early-warning. The Jeddah Center serves as a hub for supporting early-warning systems, data exchange, capacity building, and mitigating the health and economic impacts of storms in coordination with the WMO. Furthermore, Al-Qahtani boasted the Kingdom's scientific and research efforts, including hosting the First International Conference on Dust and Sand Storms in Riyadh in March 2024. They also include hosting regional workshops in collaboration with the WMO and ESCWA (the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia), and cooperating with international centers such as WMO Barcelona Dust Regional Center. In the light of this, he announced Saudi Arabia's readiness to host the second International Conference on Sand and Dust Storms in 2026 to build on the scientific momentum and assess the progress achieved since the Riyadh declaration, in addition to discussing challenges and solutions related to dust and sand storms. Tangible Results Owing to Saudi Arabia's tireless efforts and environmental initiatives, the Kingdom has planted over 142 million trees and reclaimed more than 436,000 hectares of degraded land. It has also managed to protect 18% of its land, under the (30×30) plan endorsed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in addition to launching 7 royal reserves, representing 13.5% of Saudi Arabia's total area. Moreover, Al-Qahtani emphasized the Kingdom's commitment to supporting international efforts and expanding partnerships to develop early-warning systems, protect human and the environment, and build more resilient societies in the face of climate change and dust storms. Dangers of Sand & Dust Storms Under the theme 'Sand and Dust Storms: Working Across Agendas for Resilience and Sustainability,' the high-level meeting convened at the UN headquarters on July 10 to discuss the challenges posed by sand and dust storms on affected countries. It also aimed to promote practical, coordinated actions at both regional and global levels. Moreover, the Secretary-General of the WMO, Celeste Saulo, highlighted the dangers of sand and dust storms, which 'affect more than 150 countries and impact about 330 million people worldwide.' Saulo explained that 'about 2 billion tons of dust are emitted yearly, equivalent in weight to 307 Great Pyramids of Giza,' adding that 'more than 80% of the global dust budget emanates from the North African and Middle Eastern deserts.' However, this dust has a global impact because it can travel hundreds and thousands of kilometers across continents and oceans, profoundly affecting health and quality of life, air and ground transport, agriculture and the environment, and solar energy production. Sand and dust storms are exacerbated by climate change, land degradation and unsustainable practices. They contribute to 7 million premature deaths every year, causing respiratory and cardiovascular disease, according to Assembly President, Philemon Yang. They also reduce crop yields by up to 25%, causing hunger and driving migration. Short link : Post Views: 9
Arab News
11-07-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Pakistan seeks Saudi support for desert reclamation, afforestation projects amid climate worries
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik has said that his ministry is seeking Saudi Arabia's support for comprehensive climate projects that include desert reclamation, afforestation and carbon offset initiatives, amid Islamabad's efforts to deal with climate-related challenges. Pakistan has 4.2 million hectares of forest and planted trees, which equates to 4.8 percent of its total land area, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization. The country is currently focusing on combating desertification through afforestation, water management and sustainable agricultural practices. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, is playing a leading role in global climate action and launched in 2021 the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) that aims to mitigate climate change impacts by raising $10.4 billion for clean energy, planting 50 billion trees and restoring degraded lands spanning 200 million hectares in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. In February 2022, the two brotherly countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate in nine environmental areas, including pollution control, nature protection, forestry, biodiversity, desertification, hazardous waste management, marine conservation, air quality monitoring and environmental training exchanges. 'I am going to work directly with them [Saudi Arabia] on climate initiatives, on claiming deserts, on building forests, and on [carbon] offsetting,' Malik told Arab News in an interview on Thursday. 'I just need a little bit more time to put a package together.' He said Saudi Arabia had always extended its unwavering support to Pakistan and he would soon visit the Kingdom to discuss climate collaboration between the two nations. 'It's on my table right now to put together those projects with carbon offsets, or whatever those initiatives are, and take them there, which are viable, real, doable and meaningful,' Malik said. Pakistan, home to over 240 million people, is consistently ranked among the countries most vulnerable to climate change and has seen erratic changes in its weather patterns, which have led to frequent heatwaves, untimely rains, floods, storms, cyclones and droughts in recent years. Malik said his ministry was working on green mobility and recycling initiatives in partnership with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, particularly the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to drive climate action to benefit the poor. 'They have sent me a letter about starting a movement on behalf of the entire world south… moving the recycling kind of revolution in a manner which serves the poor people of Pakistan,' he said. In 2022, deadly floods submerged a third of Pakistan, claimed more than 1,700 lives and affected 33 million people, causing more than $30 billion in economic losses. So far this monsoon season, which began in late June, at least 87 people have been killed and 149 others injured in rain-related incidents across Pakistan, with the death toll expected to rise further as heavy rains continue to batter the South Asian nation. But Malik believed the country was unlikely to face flood-like conditions similar to 2022 as the climate patterns showed a 'balancing effect' between glacier melt and rainfall. 'Where the melting is increasing, the rainfalls are projected to decrease,' he said. 'The signs, the projections that we have seen, the numbers that we have seen, basically show that hopefully we would have a good, decent, and manageable year.' Speaking of Pakistan's early warning systems, the minister acknowledged 'serious gaps' in the mechanisms despite previous investments, saying efforts were underway to fix deficiencies that hinder timely disaster alerts. 'The early warning systems, after all of the investments that we've done… they are not able to give us warning in a timely manner… those systems are not working,' he said. Asked about international climate funding to Pakistan post-2022 floods, Malik said the funding was declining due to Pakistan's 'limited absorptive capacity and lack of impactful projects.' 'We did not have a lot of absorptive power and even when funding was available, we did not come up with enough projects,' he said, adding that the country could only draw around $50-$70 million despite $500 million commitments. He said his ministry had engaged youngsters from environmental sciences background to develop ideas, projects and startups to help attract international funding. 'We are going to come up with lowest cost, highest impact projects, and we are going to go after them,' Malik added.
Saudi Gazette
29-06-2025
- Business
- Saudi Gazette
Saudi Arabia, UNEP sign cooperation deal for emissions reduction and global climate action
Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman met with Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and Undersecretary General of the United Nations Inger Andersen in Riyadh on Sunday. They discussed cooperation on climate action and joint efforts to advance the objectives of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement. The two sides also discussed Saudi Arabia's climate initiatives, including the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative, as well as other efforts undertaken by the Kingdom to expand renewable energy and reduce emissions through the Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) framework. During the meeting, the Ministry of Energy and UNEP signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate under the Regional Cooperation for Emissions Reduction Initiative. The agreement aims to support MENA countries in achieving their climate goals by promoting clean energy technologies and developing relevant policy frameworks to advance climate action. The MoU reflects shared goals to enhance resource efficiency and lower carbon emissions through a comprehensive, balanced and sustainable approach. Areas of cooperation include policy research and recommendations, partnerships with international organizations, participation in climate and CCE-related events, exchange of knowledge and best practices, and the development of climate policy frameworks, supported by regional and global climate networking activities.
