Insights What is the Saudi Green Initiative?

The Saudi Vision 2030 was unveiled in 2016 and is a long-term strategy to diversify the economy and move towards a low-carbon future. This vision is a proactive decision made by the Saudi government to tackle climate change head-on and improve people's lives inside and outside the country’s boundaries.

At this initiative's heart are three pillars - a vibrant society, a thriving economy, and an ambitious nation.

The Saudi Green Initiative is closely aligned and complementary to the 2030 Vision. Launched in 2021, the initiative is a long-term sustainable action plan which aims to address climate change, reduce emissions, and increase the use of clean energy in the Kingdom.

What are the objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative?

Three overarching objectives guide the Saudi Green Initiative’s work - reducing emissions, greening Saudi, and protecting land and sea.

Reducing emissions

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has committed to having 50% of its power generated by renewable resources by 2030. Saudi Arabia takes a whole-of-society approach to create change. Here are some of the initiatives that are in place to reduce emissions: 

• Reducing, reusing, recycling and removing CO2
• Investing in sustainable renewable energy
• Becoming the world’s leading producer of clean hydrogen
• Increasing energy efficiency
• Transforming waste management

Greening Saudi 

SGI is taking a strategic approach to restoring natural greenery with a target of planting 10 billion trees. In 2022 alone around 18 million trees were planted and 60,000 hectares of degraded land were rehabilitated. This will help to restore vital ecological functions, improve air quality, reduce sandstorms, and much more.

Protecting land and sea

Under this initiative, KSA has committed to protecting 30% of terrestrial and marine areas by 2030. This objective aims to promote conversation efforts, enhance biodiversity and implement sustainable fishing practices.

What initiatives have been introduced with the Saudi Green initiative?

Since its launch in 2021, over 77 initiatives have been activated to progress towards the three targets mentioned above. To deliver a greener future for all, Saudi Arabia is putting action and investment behind the country’s commitment to sustainable development. Here are some examples of the initiatives: 

• Enhance Saudi Arabia’s Energy Efficiency Program (SEEP) - with a completion date in 2025, this initiative will implement new energy efficiency standards across power generation, water desalination, and electricity transmission and distribution.

• Green Mosques - with a completion date of 2023, this initiative aims to plant 30,000 trees across 100 mosques, irrigated with water recycled from ablution.

• Ecological Restoration Pilot in Shaaran Nature Reserve - with a completion date of 2030, the initiative will restore 100 hectares of land. This will be used to test several approaches to ecological rehabilitation in arid environments.

What is AtkinsRéalis ’s approach to sustainable development in the Middle East?

AtkinsRéalis is committed to delivering green and sustainable infrastructure projects in the Middle East and around the world. We’ve worked on projects such as the Riyadh Metro, The Red Sea, and King Salman Park. These projects aim to reduce energy consumption, mitigate carbon emissions, and promote sustainable transportation. 

We create sustainable solutions that connect people, data, and technology to design, deliver and operate the most complex projects.

Be part of the change in Saudi Arabia 

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has plenty of opportunities to build a fulfilling career. You’ll have the chance to bring sustainable projects to life with AtkinsRéalis . We are proud to be a part of the Saudi Vision 2030 transformation and you can be too. 

Explore engineering, project management, architecture jobs and more in Saudi Arabia.