Climate change in Saudi Arabia
Climate change is having significant and diverse impacts, like higher temperatures, lower precipitation and sea level rise on Saudi Arabia's environment, society and economy.
In 2021, it updated its First Nationally Determined Contributions, with a focus on economic diversification of its economy, reducing and avoiding greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).
These areas are home to a number of religious and historical sites that are important tourist attractions and they also host agricultural land and oil and natural gas deposits.
These include flooding in coastal areas, erosion of beaches, contamination of freshwater sources, salinization of soils, and loss of habitats along coasts.
[17] Groundwater, makes up between 80 and 90 percent of water use in Saudi Arabia and comes from both nonrenewable fossil reservoirs and renewable shallow terrestrial aquifers.
An additional threat imposed by climate change is sea level rise which, when combined with anthropomorphic activities like land development and pollution, make wetlands like mangroves and mudflats the most threatened ecosystems within the country.
So, not only is climate change negatively impacting Saudi Arabian ecosystems with its reduction of water resources but also with its facilitation of the growth of harmful invasive species.
[20] Compared to other nations in the Gulf Cooperation Council, Saudi Arabia is the only country with recorded increases in the mortality rate attributable to the air's concentration of particulate matter.
[25] Economic diversification involves broadening the country's main sources of income, which is heavily emphasized for oil-exporting nations that will be subject to the detriments of the volatile oil market.
[26] When it held the G20 presidency, Saudi Arabia introduced the circular carbon economy (CCE) as a strategy to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
To shield lower income households from the detriments of price increases, Saudi Arabia implemented a form of government assistance known as the Citizens' Account.
Saudi Arabia faces the task of adaption as the introduction of CCE and energy price reforms place stress on the industrial sector and create a need for carbon-neutral alternatives.
Saudi Arabia seeks to address growing concerns through a reimagined urban planning that allocates for more efficient transportation and the creation of green spaces.
[21] Alongside the endangerment of traditional livelihoods, climate change impacts the preservation and accessibility of important cultural heritage sites.
[30] The culmination of climate change impacts has taken a toll on the country's rates of mental illness, with depression and anxiety rising to the leading causes of disability.
The disruptions to this industry pose a threat to the culture of fish consumption in Saudi Arabia and present the potential for job loss in traditional lines of work.
[31] The tangible effects of climate change in the region have become a problem for the country's tourism industry, as the increase in temperature poses health risks to tourists.
[35] The Middle East Green Initiative, launched by the Crown Prince, aims to reduce global carbon emissions by 10% through ambitious goals such as planting 50 billion trees, restoration of 200 million hectares of land, and achieving 50% renewable energy in electricity generation by 2030, all while fostering innovation and international collaboration to combat climate change.
