Khalid bin Bandar: Saudi Arabia’s Climate Commitments are Serious, Thoughtful

Khalid bin Bandar: Saudi Arabia’s Climate Commitments are Serious, Thoughtful

Saudi ambassador to the United Kingdom Prince Khalid bin Bandar said that his country’s efforts to combat climate change were not new, but rather an “integral part” of Vision 2030, which was launched by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2016.

Saudi Arabia aims to effectively curb and combat climate change, which is a common goal for the entire international community, the ambassador said from the Kingdom’s pavilion at the COP26 conference in Glasgow.

In exclusive remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Prince Khalid bin Bandar noted that confronting climate change can be achieved by working “together as an international community.”

In this regard, he welcomed the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP26, highlighting the importance of “every effort by the United Nations and our international partners to work together and find a solution to address the most pressing issue facing the world today.”

Days before the launching of the COP26 conference, Saudi Arabia announced a number of initiatives in the field of energy that would reduce carbon emissions by 278 million tons annually by 2030 - a deliberate reduction of more than double the Kingdom’s previously set targets. The country also revealed a plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060, through