His Excellency the Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture and President of the UNCCD COP16, Eng. Abdulrahman Al-Fadley, participated in a panel discussion titled Leadership in Climate Action and Sustainable Development as part of the International Exhibition and Forum for Afforestation Technologies.
During the session, he stated" The journey of the environmental system began with an approach based on strategies that raised the level of ambition through the announcement of the Saudi Green Initiative goals. These goals include the rehabilitation of 40 million hectares of degraded land, equivalent to the planting of 10 billion trees. More than 250,000 hectares of land rehabilitated as part of the initiative's targets, and over 115 million trees will plant by the end of 2024.
Eng. Al-Fadley emphasized Saudi Arabia's commitment to food security, aiming to reduce food waste and loss from 33% to 15% by 2030. He also highlighted advancements in water recycling for agriculture, which have increase from 500,000 m³ to 2 million m³, with a target to recycle 90% of treated water in the future.
Al-Fadley confirmed that Saudi Arabia is implementing a circular economy strategy. The Kingdom has successfully eliminated using fossil fuels for water production, a process that previously consumed 300,000 barrels per day. This transition is expected to be fully completed by next year, ensuring a sustainable balance between water resource management and economic growth.
Minister Al-Fadley mentioned that Saudi Arabia launched a program designed for select crops for local production based on their water consumption. These plans saved approximately 10 billion m³ of water, with safe withdrawal levels rates until 2030. He explained that 65% of drinking water relies on desalinated water, which is now produced at one-third of the cost compared to 2016. Additionally, treated water is being used for afforestation and achieving the goals of the Saudi Green Initiative.