Saudi Green Initiative Forum: as it happened in Riyadh
Over 300 delegates have convened in Riyadh for the inaugural Saudi Green Initiative Forum
Saudi Arabia is hosting the inaugural Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) Forum in the capital Riyadh on 23 October, and the Youth Green Summit on 24 October.
Day one of the event showcases the climate pledges Saudi Arabia has made as part of SGI, a whole of government initiative designed to create lasting changes that will protect the environment and improve the lives of future generations.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launched the Forum by doubling the country’s targets for reducing carbon emissions, and delegates heard from ministers and climate leaders from around the world.
On day two, delegates are hearing from younger voices at the ancillary event, Youth Green Summit, which explores how young people around the world can engage in climate action.
The Independent is reporting live from Riyadh – follow our live blog for the latest and read breakout stories and highlights here.
Despite the pandemic, Saudi Arabia has been busy making progress on its climate pledges.
Dr Osama Ibrahim Faqeeha, deputy chairman of the country’s National Centre for Wildlife, has been talking to Independent TV about some of the initiatives they’ve been working on.
In particular, he highlighted how the country has planted around 12 million trees in the last 18 month, which will all contribute towards the SGI target of 1 billion.
Watch the full interview here:
Marco Lambertini, director of the World Wildlife Fund, stressed the importance of putting nature at the forefront of the fight against the effects of climate change.
In an exclusive interview with Independent TV, he discussed the virtuous cycle that’s created when you work this way.
He said: “By tackling climate change, we can actually reduce the pressure on nature. And by conserving nature, we can maintain systems like forests, coral reefs, mangroves, marine habitats that absorb a lot of carbon.”
Watch the full interview here:
Expanding on the panel around Saudi Arabia’s giga-projects, Paul Holthus, CEO of the World Ocean Council, told Independent TV that the Red Sea Project will “show the world how sustainable development can happen in coastal areas”.
The Red Sea Project is a regenerative tourism project where luxury resorts are built on islands off the west coast of Saudi Arabia.
Unlike luxury resorts elsewhere, these are developed with the help of results from enormous mapping projects so that they would have minimal impact on the environment.
You can watch the full interview here:
Independent TV also spoke to John Pogano, CEO of the Red Sea Development Company, the developers behind the Red Sea Project.
He talked about some of the coral research work they’ve been doing – which you can read more about here – and revealed that the first resort will be opening in 2023.
Watch the full interview below
The inaugural Saudi Green Initiative Forum and Youth Green Summit has drawn to a close.
In the future-looking final session, Prince Mishari Al Saud, co-founder and chairman of Saudi Arabia’s Environmental Development Association (Faseel), addressed the issue of education in the context of climate action alongside the CEO of US-based consultancy firm McDonough Innovation, William McDonough.
In particular, how education can be made relevant to climate action so that future eco-entrepreneurs can tackle the challenges to come.
It’s a reminder that the work is not over – as Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s minister of energy, has already confirmed in another panel, the SGI Forum will return.
The long weekend of climate discussions isn’t over yet, though.
Riyadh is also hosting the Middle East Green Initiative Summit (25 October), where world leaders will discuss green policy solutions ahead of Cop26.
In the meantime, you can read all of the coverage on The Independent’s SGI hub.