By Climate Scorecard Saudi Arabia Country Managers Abeer Abdulkareem and Amgad Ellaboudy Most of the renewable energy projects in Saudi Arabia are either at the tender-bidding, construction and installation, or production trial phases. Therefore, it is too early to elicit the best practices in the production or distribution of renewable energy projects in the...
Policy Recommendation: Strengthen Saudi Arabia’s Renewable Energy Program The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia can achieve a noticeable reduction in its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions if it fully implemented the Saudi Arabia National Renewable Energy Program. Initially, Saudi Vision 2030’s target was to achieve 9.5 GW of renewable energy generation by 2030. This goal has been...
Saudi Arabia’s electricity is primarily composed of fossil fuel sources—particularly natural gas and crude oil—with a small but increasing amount from solar energy. For its electricity, the Kingdom sources 218,470 Gigawatt hours (GWh) (or 60%) from natural gas, 159,528 GWh (or 40%) from crude oil, and 155 GWh (or < 1%) from solar energy. In...
Recently Reported Greenhouse Gas Emissions Levels: 491.66 Metric Tons in 2018, an Increase of 225.37% and Increase from 1990 Levels (Source: IEA) The latest greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions figures indicate that in 2018 Saudi Arabia produced 491.66 million Metric Tons of CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e), this figure is primarily driven by due oil and gas production....
September 2020 It’s a race against heat, and humanity is losing Saudi Arabia has increased their air pollution amidst heat waves after their power plants burned more crude oil for air conditioners. In July 2019, the capital city of Riyadh registered its poorest air quality for the year as the average high temperature reached 43 Celsius. With...
Climate change mitigation research in Saudi Arabia is conducted through universities and institutions that are seemingly well-funded. Two such prominent organizations are: Center of Excellence for Climate Change Research (CECCR), at King Abdulaziz University, and Prince Sultan Institute for Environmental, Water, and Desert Research, at King Saud University. CECCR was established in 2009 to “provide...
Saudi Arabia’s green jobs market is developing as Saudi Aramco, the country’s largest employer, is implementing sustainable initiatives that will generate green jobs within the energy industry. This initiative has four components: energy efficiency, environmental performance, human capital development, and commercial ecosystems. Within the company’s Flare Minimization Program, multiple flare gas recovery systems are installed...
Smallholder farmers and fishermen are particularly at risk to the effects of climate change because they rely on the environment for their livelihoods. Saudi Arabia is already a country with sparse water resources, and by 2100, field and vegetable crops are expected to require 10-13% more water because of changes in temperature and carbon dioxide...
Saudi Arabian Airlines and the aviation sector has been hard hit by the COVID-19 virus outbreak. The aviation sector makes a major contribution to the Kingdom’s economy as it generates $36.5 billion gross value and supports 594,000 jobs. The airlines own and operate jet aircrafts that offer scheduled passenger and cargo transportation services. The suspension...
When one thinks of Saudi Arabia, it might not seem like the type of country that is famous for its forests, but it does contain 2.7 million hectares of woodlands, particularly in its remote high-altitude areas. Under the Convention on Biological Diversity, Saudi Arabia has maintained 15 protected areas for biodiversity, covering almost 4% of...
