UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reiterated the sentiments of the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz at the original announcement of Saudi Green Initiative, saying the world must go “further and faster” to combat climate change by the middle of the century.
In a statement to the inaugural Middle East Green Initiative Summit in Riyadh, Prime Minister Johnson said: “This is a region rich in history - the birthplace of the alphabet, algebra, coffee, the will and much of our civilization. But for many, the region has become most synonymous with fossil fuels. There is now a chance for a new chapter in the history of your region.”
“We must go further and faster if we are to limit the increasing global temperature, and take the necessary action to protect people and nature from the effects of climate change.”
Prime Minister Johnson also praised Saudi Arabia’s commitment to plant 10 billion trees, and the wider regional commitment to plant 50 billion trees highlighted earlier by HRH the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz.
Prime Minister Johnson said: “This inaugural conference tackles the latter two head-on - cash and trees. 10 billion trees to be precise in Saudi Arabia, and 50 billion total across the region. That, my friends, is a lot of trees, and I hope you will match that outstanding level of ambition across all areas where action is needed.”
Earlier, the Crown Prince announced a series of regional programs for climate action to an audience of dozens of heads of state at the event. On Saturday, the Crown Prince also revealed that Saudi Arabia is aiming to achieve net zero emissions by 2060 through the Carbon Circular Economy approach.
The Middle East Green Initiative called for intensifying coordination and joint action to preserve and develop the importance of the environment and vegetation cover in Africa, in addition to establishing the Green Initiative Foundation as an independent non-profit entity to support the summit and raise the level of coordination.
