• G20 committed towards ambitious approach to a circular carbon economy
• World leaders agree coordinated approach needed to tackle environmental issues

One Carlo Diaz

DUBAI: The preservation of the planet and the environment are of the utmost importance to Saudi Arabia, King Salman said on Sunday at a side event on the last day of the Group of Twenty (G20) summit in Riyadh.

The Saudi king spoke in a virtual message about the Kingdom and the G20’s commitment towards safeguarding the planet, including an ambitious approach to circular carbon economy (CCE) or the “reduce, reuse, recycle, and remove” concept.

“Together, the 4Rs comprise a holistic, integrated, and pragmatic approach that values all options to managing emissions in all sectors,” he said.

Saudi Arabia is launching a CCE National Program, the King said, which he explained will “accelerate the current momentum toward (the country’s) sustainability.”

He urged other countries to join the Kingdom in achieving the goals of the program.

The King said that Saudi Arabia has massive plans for developing renewable energy to generate up to 50 percent of the country’s electricity by 2030.

Other G20 leaders also expressed their solidarity towards environmental preservation, including outgoing US president Donald Trump, India’s Narendra Modi, China’s Xi Jinping and Scott Morrison of Australia.

The world leaders agreed a coordinated approach was needed to tackle environmental issues such as coral reef preservation, ocean ecosystems, land degradation and habitat loss.

Climate change must be fought not in silos, but in an integrated, comprehensive and holistic way,” Prime Minister Modi said, highlighting the importance of “increasing research and innovation in new and sustainable technologies.”