Climate change is the biggest and most urgent challenge of our time. During a live forum hosted on Monday by the British Embassy in Riyadh, experts from the private and public sectors and civil society discussed the challenge, strategies and actions that need to be taken, with a particular focus on plastic consumption and waste.
The virtual roundtable, “Reusing and recycling: The effects of plastic in nature. Ahead of COP26, can we encourage a fundamental change in attitudes?” was held as part of the British Embassy’s #TogetherForOurPlanet campaign.
The campaign is building awareness about climate change and the urgent need for action in the run-up to COP26 (the UN’s 26th session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention), which will bring together world leaders, delegates, climate experts and negotiators to agree on coordinated action to tackle climate change.
British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Neil Crompton opened the roundtable. He commended the leadership Saudi Arabia demonstrated on climate and environment issues during the Kingdom’s presidency of the G20 last year.
He said: “We are dependent upon each other and the sum of our collective actions as we seek to tackle huge, global challenges. Saudi leadership on climate and environment is key to building awareness and momentum globally on this critical issue as we accelerate progress toward achieving our global climate commitments.”
The virtual roundtable was moderated by COP26 Regional Ambassador for MENA Janet Rogan. She said that 2021 is a pivotal year for climate change action, noting the significance of the COP26, which will be convened in Glasgow in November.
“Our lands and oceans are under threat from climate change, but can also contribute to the solution. And we cannot meet the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement or adapt to the effects of climate change without restoring, protecting and enhancing nature,” Rogan added.
The six speakers that joined the roundtable included: Professor Carlos M. Duarte, Tarek Ahmed Juffali Research Chair in Red Sea Ecology at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology; Ahmed Samir Elbermbali, managing director of the MENA Clean Energy Business Council; Helen Olds, principal of the British International School Riyadh; Caspar Herzberg, president, Middle East and Africa at Schneider Electric; Mouna A. Eusman, MDP, co-founder of Naqaa Sustainability Solutions and a circular economy expert; and Taha Boksmati, founder of Hejaz Ploggers and operational excellence manager at National Center for Environmental Compliance.
