Highlighting the Environmental Sector of Saudi Arabia

Highlights of the Environmental Sector (A Future Vision)

More recently, there has been much talk of climate change that has become the focus of the world’s attention, especially after the world’s shelter figures in 2022.According to specialists, the exacerbation of the climate crisis is due to the imbalance of potential among States.

Developing countries are not a major contributor to increasing climate-damaging missions, yet they must take action that may exceed their means to meet this challenge as humanity’s primary duty to preserve the planet.

It is in this spirit that Saudi Arabia has taken the lead in the Middle East through the Middle East Green Initiative to address climate change in the region and support neighboring countries through joint action to achieve the goals of global climate action through the establishment of infrastructure to reduce emissions and protect the environment.

It is worth mentioning that the governance of the environmental sector did not take place overnight but continued for years of study and planning. The actual manifestation was the launch of the National Environmental Strategy, which is part of the Middle East Green Initiative, the Saudi Green Initiative and other environmental initiatives at the national and regional levels.

Where the National Environmental Strategy has incorporated the impact of 60 national environmental sector development and governance initiatives, in our view these initiatives can be divided into pre-2023 and post-2023 phases along the following lines:

I. Pre-2023 national environmental initiatives:

This phase can be achieved by building foundations for the environment sector; The institutional regulatory framework has been governed by the highest international practice so that there is no overlap of competencies and there is no duplication of law enforcement and the issuance of necessary licences. In order to achieve these steps, more than 15 legislative documents have been issued/updated.

Distinguished human resources and the development of existing human resources have been attracted through the exchange of necessary development experiences and programs. Awareness has been raised among the community of the need to protect the environment and to establish deterrent fines for such abuses. Dedicated mechanisms have been built to collect and analyze data in order to assess the performance of the environmental bodies concerned. This makes Saudi Arabia the right place for environmental investment to complete the necessary infrastructure.

II. National environmental initiatives beyond 2023:

From 2024 to 2030, the objectives of the National Vision are focused on expanding environmental work to include private sector participation, attracting and providing facilities for exemptions in the field of the environment.

Accordingly, we prefer to designate this phase as a phase (maximizing the effectiveness of the environmental sector) where it is expected to expand supply chains and develop research and innovation in the environmental field in preparation for the completion of the Saudi expertise system and export to other countries.

In conclusion, we would like to note the completion of the legislative structure in the environmental sector, and the Government’s trend to support research and innovation will enhance the investment importance of the environmental sector in Saudi Arabia, which seeks to export successful innovations to the countries of the region, thereby leaving Saudi Arabia as the Middle East environmental investment gateway to be an essential contributor to the fight against the global climate crisis.