First National Greening Forum held in Riyadh

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Attendees at the inaugural National Greening Forum in Riyadh. (SPA)
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Updated 06 May 2024
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First National Greening Forum held in Riyadh

  • Experts discussed nature-based solutions to environmental issues, highlighting Kingdom’s nature reserves as prime example
  • Forum highlighted the role of public, private and nonprofit sectors in achieving the Saudi Green Initiative target of planting 10 billion trees

RIYADH: As countries around the world push to invest in nature-based solutions to environmental problems, experts in Saudi Arabia came together in Riyadh to discuss the most pressing issues at the inaugural National Greening Forum. 

Launched under the patronage of Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli, the forum was organized by the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification and attended by Minister of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing Majed Al-Hogail, several other ministers, organisations and specialists from local, regional and international sectors related to the environment.

CEO of the center, Khalid Al-Abdulqader, said in his opening speech that the forum will “unify and consolidate national efforts to enhance vegetation cover and mitigate land degradation.”

Addressing the restoration of green spaces in the Kingdom, he said: “We are committed to restoring natural green spaces using sustainable irrigation methods, planting local tree species, and ensuring their protection and monitoring through advanced technologies.”

In a panel discussion titled “Nature-Based Solutions: Key to Transformation,” industry specialists and experts discussed various issues related to promoting the natural growth of trees and their environmental effect, as well as the industries tied to environmental issues and ways their institutions work to find sustainable solutions for the future. 

“Vegetation and afforestation are part of nature, which includes the atmosphere, soil, and organisms. The correlation between all of these is the main element for these solutions. So, organizing and monitoring this relationship is key for sustainability and greening,” said Dr. Ahmed Al-Farhan, board member of the center and a faculty member at King Saud University.

For ages, large plumes of dust and sand sweeping across most of Saudi Arabia were a natural, seasonal occurrence, but this year there has been an unusual and noticeable decrease in sandstorms. 

Jamaan Al-Qahtani, executive director of the Regional Center for Dust and Sandstorms, explained: “Sandstorms need two factors to occur: dry, load-bearing soil and winds fast enough to carry it.” A few years ago, he said, there were indications that the Kingdom was experiencing fewer sandstorms.

“This April was a 60 percent drop on the average of the past 20 years. March was 30 percent, and January was more than 60 percent. Last year, Riyadh had a record of only one sandstorm.”

Explaining the reason behind this, he said: “We attribute that firstly to rainfall and the timing of that rainfall. When rain falls during the best time for vegetation, that helps with stabilizing the soil.”

The environmental system also plays a pivotal role in preventing degradation, as well as laws that restrain individuals and other entities from tampering with the environment.

Sand and dust storms affect 11 of the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals. For example, 7 million people in total die from all sources of air pollution and degraded air quality. The Middle East and North Africa region loses $150 billion annually due to weather and climate disasters, Al-Qahtani said.  

To meet the growing demand for fresh water in Saudi Arabia, authorities launched a project in 2022 that alters the structure of clouds to increase rainfall; a technique known as cloud seeding.

Ayman Al-Bar, executive director of the Regional Cloud Seeding Program, said “environmental phenomena have become much more severe and common than before.” He went on to say that one of the initiatives under the Middle East Green Initiative, the cloud seeding program, targets an increase in rainfall of between 10% and 20%.

The various initiatives under the program work to intensify vegetation cover, combat desertification, localize technology, and transfer knowledge, he said. In the fifth stage, which covers Riyadh, Hail, and southern parts such as Abha, Taif, and Asir, 1,530 flight hours were spent on precipitation efforts and 110 hours on research. “Preliminary reports indicate that precipitation exceeds 4 billion cubic meters of rainfall in the targeted area,” Al-Bar said.

Dr. Talal Al-Harigi, CEO of Imam Abdulaziz Royal Nature Reserve, said: “When it comes to carbon sequestration, which is capturing carbon through natural solutions, trees naturally grow by taking in carbon dioxide. When some soil patches deteriorate, we’ve undergone processes for soil rehabilitation and preparing them to receive rain either from rainfall or other sources.” 

Nature reserves are a prime example of nature-based solutions, Al-Harigi said. Within the Imam Abdulaziz Royal Nature Reserve, the King Khalid Royal Reserve, and others, authorities found that vegetation cover was refreshed and that there was greater soil stability, as well as improved soil fertility. 

Ultimately, most industries are affected by environmental deterioration and climate change, and while natural disasters are expected to increase and worsen, Saudi Arabia has taken a leading role in creating sustainable solutions for generations to come.

The forum highlighted the role of public, private and nonprofit sectors in achieving the Saudi Green Initiative target of planting 10 billion trees and providing a platform to participating organisations to engage and exchange knowledge.


Massive shading project underway at Namira Mosque courtyards for Hajj

Updated 6 sec ago
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Massive shading project underway at Namira Mosque courtyards for Hajj

  • Project will be implemented during the Hajj season to help to alleviate heat and to facilitate the movement of pilgrims as they perform their rituals
  • Project includes planting 2,000 trees in the eastern courtyards, installing complete infrastructure for water and electricity networks, constructing 320 canopies, and setting up 350 misting fans

MAKKAH: Kidana Development Co., the master developer of the holy sites and the executive arm of the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites, has implemented a project to provide shade and cooling in the courtyards surrounding the Namira Mosque in Arafat.

The project will be implemented during the Hajj season to help moderate the climate — especially given the intense heat during that time — and to facilitate the movement of pilgrims as they perform their rituals, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

The project, covering 85,000 square meters, includes planting 2,000 trees in the eastern courtyards, installing complete infrastructure for water and electricity networks, constructing 320 canopies, and setting up 350 misting fans.

Additionally, the company has completed the planting of 20,000 trees across 290,000 square meters as part of the Green Holy Sites initiative, in line with the Saudi Green Initiative, which aims to expand green areas and improve the environment.


Royal Saudi Air Force joins search and rescue drill in Turkiye

Updated 45 min 36 sec ago
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Royal Saudi Air Force joins search and rescue drill in Turkiye

  • Saudi team brought two Cougar search and rescue helicopters, along with full aircrews and technical support
  • 11-day drill focuses on combat search and rescue operations that support broader air missions

RIYADH: The international combat search and rescue exercise Phoenix of Anatolia began on Monday at Turkiye’s Konya Air Base, with the Royal Saudi Air Force joining units from several other countries.

The Saudi team brought two Cougar search and rescue helicopters, along with full aircrews and technical support, according to Lt. Col. Pilot Abdulrahman Al-Mansour, who leads the Saudi contingent.

“Our team includes six air controllers and aims to improve readiness in realistic conditions while exchanging expertise with other forces,” Al-Mansour said.

The 11-day drill focuses on combat search and rescue operations that support broader air missions. One focus is training tactical air control teams to coordinate with allied systems, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

The Saudi delegation arrived last week and was received by Rear Adm. Abdullah bin Gaith, the Kingdom’s military attache in Ankara.


KSrelief continues to aid Lebanon’s refugee population

Updated 13 May 2025
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KSrelief continues to aid Lebanon’s refugee population

RIYADH: Dozens of ambulance missions have been carried out by the Souboul Al Salam Association’s ambulance service in the Miniyeh district, northern Lebanon, in a Saudi-funded initiative.

Financially backed by KSrelief, the initiative ran from May 2-5.

The mission aimed to provide transportation and burn treatment for Syrian refugees and the local community.


WWE, Riyadh Season to host Night of Champions in June

Updated 13 May 2025
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WWE, Riyadh Season to host Night of Champions in June

  • Kingdom Arena to hold event on June 27

RIYADH: World Wrestling Entertainment, in collaboration with Riyadh Season, will host the Night of Champions event at the Kingdom Arena, part of the Kingdom’s ongoing commitment to creating international entertainment, the Saudi Press Agency has reported.

The SmackDown show will take place on Friday, June 27.

The event will be exclusively live on Peacock in the US but will also be available on Netflix and other outlets for people in Saudi Arabia.


Saudi Arabia, US explore ways to build next generation of AI

Updated 13 May 2025
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Saudi Arabia, US explore ways to build next generation of AI

  • Partnerships key, says David Sacks, Silicon Valley veteran
  • Google’s Ruth Porat outlines her firm’s work in Kingdom

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and US officials discussed ways to further collaborate on artificial intelligence at the Saudi-US Investment Forum here on Tuesday.

The discussions took place during two sessions titled “Pioneering Digital Futures: Joint Leadership in AI and Emerging Technologies,” and “Digital Foundations: Building the Next Generation of AI and Infrastructure.”

In the first session, the speakers were Saudi Minister of Information and Communications Technology Abdullah Alswaha and David Sacks, a Silicon Valley veteran who is helping the administration of President Donald Trump develop the crypto industry.

Sacks said he was impressed, during his tour of some technology companies, that founders and entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia “are really on the cutting edge of what’s happening with AI.”

“The thing that that I’ve learned in Silicon Valley for the past 25 years is that every successful company in Silicon Valley gets to be that way by creating an ecosystem, and the biggest, the most powerful companies … are the ones that create the biggest ecosystem.”

“In fact, they do that by creating a standard. They want everyone to build on top of them. They create app stores, things like that. In fact, they’re able to build these ecosystems without even having any lawyers involved.

“There’s no need for a contract. You just publish an API (Application Programming Interface) and people will build. And I think in a similar way, the United States needs to encourage the world to build on our text that.

He spoke about how Trump challenged them to be at the forefront of the AI race. “He said, we have to win the AI race. The United States has to win the AI race,” Sacks said.

“And the answer is that we have to build the biggest partner ecosystem. We need our friends like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other strategic partners and allies to want to build on our cap.”

Sacks also criticized what has become known as former US President Joe Biden’s diffusion rule.

This restricted access to mainstream computing applications and set caps on the number of advanced chips that could be exported to most countries.

“Over the past few years, that’s been the opposite of the approach in Washington,” said Sacks.

“The Trump administration just announced that (it) would be rescinding what’s known as the Biden diffusion rule, which was a rule that came out in January.”

Using iPhones as an example, Sacks said that if Trump had created a rule for these products, the technology backing it would not have spread throughout the world.

He said that the diffusion of iPhones was “a very good thing” for the US.

“I think in a similar way, we want our technology to diffuse or to spread. We want people to use it. We want to become the standard.

“And I think that in Washington, that mentality is, I think that sorely lacked over the past few years, but we’re gonna bring it back.”

In the later session CEOs and tech innovators discussed growth in this sector globally, and developments in the Kingdom.

Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer of Alphabet and Google, outlined her company’s work in Saudi Arabia.

“Google is now building data centers, bringing graphic processing units, tensor processing units, and developing the most advanced version of our AI software Gemini which is now available in 16 Arabic dialects,” said Porat.