Saudi Arabia Earns Praise For Vowing Net-Zero Carbon Emissions—But Pledge Comes With Caveats

Saudi Arabia Earns Praise For Vowing Net-Zero Carbon Emissions—But Pledge Comes With Caveats

Share to Linkedin Praise has started to roll in for Saudi Arabia after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Saturday his country plans to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2060, but the announcement from the world's leading oil exporter came with numerous caveats. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is pictured during a meeting at Al Salam Palace in ... [+] the Red Sea port of Jeddah on June 24, 2019. (JACQUELYN MARTIN/AFP via Getty Images) In a prerecorded speech to a climate forum taking place in Riyadh, the crown prince said the country would aim to reach net-zero emissions within its borders. That won't include Saudi Arabia's oil exports, the mainstay of the nation's economy, since only oil that is burned for energy within the country itself will be used for the calculations. The plan also puts Saudi Arabia 10 years behind the recommended 2050 deadline to reach net-zero emissions set by the International Energy Agency, which the U. S., U. K. and European Union have set as their goals. Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency, also tweeted Saturday that pledges from major fossil fuel-producing nations like Saudi Arabia "are vital to reach international