GLASGOW: ¶¶Òő¶ÌÊÓÆ” is âready, willing and ableâ to lead the world in tackling climate change and global warming, the Kingdomâs ambassador to the UK told Arab News on Monday.
âItâs very simple, really. There is a problem. Thereâs a solution. And weâre working toward the solution to the problem,â Prince Khalid bin Bandar said at the COP26 environmental summit in Glasgow.
âThis is an international issue, and it requires everybody working together in a common fashion to achieve a common goal. ¶¶Òő¶ÌÊÓÆ” is ready, willing and able to take its position among the international community to solve the problem and do what it can.â
The Kingdom has set a target date of 2060 to achieve net zero carbon emissions and significant reductions in greenhouse gases as part of the Saudi Green Initiative.
Prince Khalid led the Saudi delegation on the first big day of set-piece speeches, bilateral negotiations, and candid exchanges of views at the Glasgow event. World leaders including US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson stressed the gravity of global warming and the ambassador echoed theirsentiments.
âItâs a defining moment, for ¶¶Òő¶ÌÊÓÆ”, and for the role itâs playing in climate change,â he said. âWhat youâve seen is us not only committing to things in the long term, and the medium term, but also the short term.
âThis isnât something weâre doing for COP26. Weâre doing this for the benefit of the Saudi population. We believe in quality of life. And in order to provide quality of life for ¶¶Òő¶ÌÊÓÆ”, we need quality of life for the world.â
Prince Khalid saw no conflict between ¶¶Òő¶ÌÊÓÆ”âs role as the worldâs leading hydrocarbon exporter and its commitment to energy transition. âItâs not about the export of hydrocarbons,â he said. âWe want to become an exporter of energy, period, whether itâs renewable, or a mix, with mixed hydrogen use like blue and green hydrogen.â
The Saudi experience could benefit the rest of the world, the ambassador said. âWe live in a world in ¶¶Òő¶ÌÊÓÆ” where we had very little, itâs a desert, thereâs no water, thereâs no food. Itâs hot, itâs dry. Itâs very, very difficult. We understand harsh climates. And we, through technological innovation, have managed to provide for our people a safe, comfortable place to live.â
The world had to tackle the challenge in a collaborative way but with one eye on each countryâs economic and cultural circumstances, Prince Khalid said. âItâs a varied world, and different people and different countries have a different journey from where they are. Each has a different makeup, whether itâs culturally, socially, economically. And each one will require different solutions to solve their problems.â