Riyadh: The Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) continues to make significant strides in achieving its ambitious goals for environmental protection and sustainability, with active participation from various segments of society. The SGI underscores Saudi Arabia’s commitment to steering a new era of climate action and shaping a more sustainable future both locally and regionally.
According to Saudi Press Agency, on SGI Day, marking the anniversary of the initiative’s launch on March 27, the Kingdom celebrates the remarkable achievements accomplished thus far, reaffirming its dedication to environmental protection and its leadership role in global efforts to tackle climate change.
The SGI has encompassed 86 initiatives and programs being implemented with investments exceeding SAR705 billion across various sectors of the green economy. The projects all contribute to the initiative’s primary objectives: reducing carbon emissions, greening Saudi Arabia, and protecting land and sea. They align with the objectives of Vision 2030 aimed at building a sustainable and prosperous economy while enhancing the quality of life for Saudi society.
The SGI has made significant progress in afforestation and degraded land rehabilitation, planting over 115 million trees across the Kingdom and rehabilitating more than 118,000 hectares of land. The notable achievement paves the way for planting 10 billion trees over the coming decades and restoring more than 74 million hectares of land under the initiative.
Since its launch in 2021, the SGI has been accelerating its efforts to reduce carbon emissions and promote a green transition in the Kingdom, aiming for a reduction of carbon emissions by 278 million tons per annum (mtpa) by 2030 through the journey toward net-zero. To date, Saudi Arabia has connected renewable energy projects with a capacity of 6.6 gigawatts to its national electricity grid, alongside several projects under development with capacities totaling 44.2 gigawatts.
In 2024, the Kingdom launched projects with a capacity of 20 gigawatts, aligning with the Saudi ambitious plans to increase renewable energy share in the power mix to 130 gigawatts, targeting an optimal electricity generation mix of about 50% natural gas and 50% renewable energy by 2030.
The SGI’s efforts also extend to the protection of wildlife and reintroduction of indigenous species into their natural habitats. The initiative seeks to protect 30% of the Kingdom’s terrestrial and marine areas through a distinguished approach that harmonizes human and natural interactions, thus ensuring enhanced quality of life and thriving natural environments.
So far, the Kingdom has successfully protected 18.1% of its terrestrial areas and 6.49% of its marine areas, in addition to rewilding over 7,000 endangered species into nature reserves, including the Arabian oryx, the Arabian mountain gazelle, and the ibex.
Saudi Arabia persists in its diligent efforts in environmental protection and support for sustainability by implementing comprehensive quality projects and programs under SGI, reflecting the Kingdom’s proactive role in climate action and building a more sustainable future for all.
For more information, visit the dedicated website for the Saudi Green Initiative Day at SGIDay.com.
