Crown Prince launches Riyadh Sustainability Strategy
The CEO of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, Fahd Al-Rasheed, expressed his gratitude to the Crown Prince for launching the Riyadh Sustainability Strategy.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, launched
Riyadh Sustainability Strategy on Saturday at the Saudi Green Initiative Forum, between global experts and industry leaders to address the environmental challenges facing the city and the region.
"We are determined to turn Riyadh into one of the most sustainable cities in the world," the crown prince said.
The Royal Commission for Riyadh City announced that the Riyadh Sustainability Strategy will include 68 ambitious initiatives and projects in five sectors
Energy and climate change, air quality, water management, waste management, biodiversity, and natural areas.
Riyadh's sustainability strategy will see the city's carbon emissions reduced by 50 percent. in addition to ,
346 billion Saudi riyals ($92 billion) will be invested in sustainability initiatives and projects, to stimulate the private sector.
Commenting on Riyadh's sustainability strategy, the CEO of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, Fahd Al-Rasheed, expressed,
And his gratitude to the Crown Prince for launching the Riyadh Sustainability Strategy.
Al-Rasheed said: "The directions of the Crown Prince remind us that the ambitious economic growth of Riyadh will not come at the expense of the environment and sustainability."
He emphasized the efficiency of natural resource management, noting an investment of 30 billion riyals ($8 billion) to increase the use of treated water for irrigation in Riyadh from 11% to 100%.
This will ensure that every drop used is recycled, making water consumption in the capital more sustainable.
The plans also commit to investing approximately 56 billion Saudi riyals ($15 billion) in waste management projects to recycle 94% of waste into energy.
He explained that the environmental investments announced by the Crown Prince will save the city between 40 and 65 billion riyals (11 to 17.3 billion dollars).
This saving is due to improving the efficiency of the infrastructure, reducing energy and water consumption,
As well as reducing the cost of health care, by improving public health.
The new sustainability strategy in Riyadh will positively impact the livability across the city.
Al-Rasheed pointed out that the King Abdulaziz Public Transport Project in Riyadh, upon its completion,
It will increase the adoption of public transportation in the city from 5% to 20%, driven by investments of 112.5 billion riyals ($30 billion). It is expected to reduce the number of daily flights by one million,
This will reduce approximately 1.5 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually.
By 2030, on the roads, the capital plans to reach the use of electric vehicles by up to 30%.
He added that the authority is investing 30 billion Saudi riyals ($8 billion) in projects such as the Green Riyadh Initiative,
It is one of four mega projects in Riyadh and a major contributor to the Sustainable Development Goals Index.
The sustainability initiatives in Riyadh and Green Riyadh aim to plant 15 million trees and increase per capita green space from 1.7 square meters to 28 square meters within urban areas by 2030.
This will reduce city temperatures by 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius and reduce the main radiation temperature in the range of 8 to 15 degrees in the shade.
More than 3,300 neighborhood parks of various sizes and 43 major city parks will be built in Riyadh, with the aim of improving the quality of life.
"Our parks will enhance a sense of community, strengthen our residents' connection to their environment and improve the quality of life for citizens across the capital," he added.
Commenting on the RCRC projects, he said: “We will also invest 30 billion Saudi riyals ($8 billion).”
To increase energy production from renewable sources by 50 percent, making the city’s energy mix more sustainable.”
"Creating 350,000 new jobs and adding 150 billion riyals to the local economy by the end of the decade," he added.