المملكة: The Saudi Green Initiative showcases the Kingdom’s leadership in reducing methane gas

Today, the Green Saudi Initiative dialogues witnessed the organization of a session entitled “Observing the Earth from Space” with the participation of the sustainability expert at the Ministry of Energy, Noura bint Abdulaziz Al-Sudairi, and the researcher at the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC), Walid Matar.
The session discussed the Kingdom’s use of satellite technologies to measure methane emissions, and the Kingdom’s leadership in reducing these emissions, which is of great importance to address the repercussions of climate change.

Methane emissions

Al-Sudairi stressed that the Kingdom has been committed for several decades to reducing methane emissions, referring to the main gas network that was launched in the 1970s. She said: “The Kingdom realizes the necessity of addressing the issue, and over the course of forty years, we have taken practical steps to reduce the burning of gas in burners.” .
Al-Sudairi also spoke during the session about the Kingdom’s support for initiatives aimed at reducing methane emissions globally, including the Global Pledge on Methane, which aims to reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030, and the World Bank’s initiative to completely eliminate traditional gas burning by 2030.

Saudi Green Initiative

The KAPSARC researcher provided valuable information about the pioneering study conducted by the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center to measure methane emissions in the Kingdom using an innovative satellite-based technology, which covered the period from 2016 to 2022.
The results of the study revealed that the Kingdom ranks second globally in terms of methane intensity rates among oil-producing countries.

The Kingdom’s leading global position

Mattar said: “The new data confirms the Kingdom’s global leadership position in the field of methane reduction, and embodies an innovative approach that contributes to enhancing understanding of emissions in the Kingdom.”
It is noteworthy that the Saudi Green Initiative dialogues are held daily at 3:00 pm in the Saudi Green Initiative pavilion.
Tomorrow’s session will be held under the title “Empowering Investors”, with the participation of the Vice President for Economic Affairs at the Environment Fund, Hashem Al-Fawaz, and the climate change expert at the National Committee for the Clean Development Mechanism, Nour Al-Qaffas.