Saudi Arabia joins Earth Observation Group, welcomes creation of Global Science-Policy Alliance for Earth
King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) President Dr. Munir Eldesouki welcomed the Kingdom’s joining of the Earth Observation Group, which aims to produce user-driven AI solutions that guide decisions and accelerate action on global, societal and environmental challenges. He also welcomed the establishment of a global science-policy alliance for Earth, which provides to be a promising framework to inspire effective, equitable and informed action around the world, SPA reports.
Chairing the Science, Technology and Innovation Day session “Healing our land through science and Earth Intelligence”, on the sidelines of UNCCD COP16, Eldesouki said that the alliance aims to address environmental challenges related to climate change, loss of biodiversity, and land degradation, and seeks to improve access to science, data, and decision-making support.
He stressed that science and technology are two fundamental pillars for ensuring a sustainable future and achieving an effective balance between economic growth and environmental preservation, adding that adopting sustainable practices such as green technologies and renewable energy contributes to building a strong economy that protects the environment for future generations.
He also said that the Kingdom launched the Saudi Green Initiative, which aims to convert 30% of its lands into nature reserves, plant 10 billion trees, and restore 40 million hectares of degraded lands.
The Kingdom is also leading regional efforts, through the Middle East Green Initiative, to plant 40 billion trees to combat desertification, protect ecosystems, and provide food and hope for communities.
He added: "The larger objective of planting 50 billion trees, which represents 5% of the global reforestation target, will be accomplished by joint efforts and group action, and reviving 200 million hectares of land, so that we can embark on an unprecedented journey toward a sustainable future, inspired and motivated by scientific and technological progress."
According to Eldesouki, the Kingdom has set the ambitious goal to benefit from waste by 90% by 2040, thus conserving biodiversity and the environment, and limiting the deterioration of land.
He reviewed the initiatives and projects implemented by the Kingdom in the field of environmental, water and agricultural development, such as the biological treatment of saltwater at the Yanbu 3 desalination plant, carbon dioxide capture, biomass production for animal feed, extraction of high-value metabolites for medicines, and generation of thousands of tons of sustainable algae biomass, and stressed that these projects will be functional by the year 2026, helping to enhance sustainability.
Eldesouki said that the combined efforts of all concerned parties in the Kingdom resulted in the establishment of the National Research and Development Center for Sustainable Agriculture (Estidamah), the Center of Excellence for Sustainable Food Security, and the Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture, which are interested in directing their activities and research toward enhancing food and water security, and improving productivity and quality of economic crops through biotechnology applications.
According to Eldesouki, the Kingdom has won many awards in recognition of its contribution to combating desertification, its commitment to sustainable development, and the promotion of global environmental initiatives. It won the gold award at the Middle East and North Africa Stevie Awards 2024 for sustainability. It also won five awards and set world records at the Horticulture Expo 2023 Doha, and 11 awards at the Green World Awards 2023. The Kingdom also launched a global award with Almarai for innovation in food and agricultural technologies.
Discussions stressed the importance of scaling up science and data to tackle global environmental crises.
