THE Saudi Arabia delegation to the 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP22) that takes its place at the conference table in Marrakech, Morocco, does so at a historic juncture for the Kingdom. Last year, both in the lead up to the Paris climate conference, and during its unprecedented level of engagement with it, Saudi Arabia demonstrated on the world stage that it takes the issue of climate change, not only seriously, but that it views it as an priority consideration as the Kingdom moves forward. Saudi Arabia arrives at COP22 as a nation in transformation, evidenced by its comprehensive holistic development road map, Vision 2030. The nation, its key stakeholders and institutions are mobilized for the effort to diversify its economy away from a heavy over-reliance on hydrocarbons. The Paris conference was a landmark for the Kingdom. For the first time Saudi Arabia established its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) in a clear signal of its contributions and practical engagement with the issue of climate change. Taking the initiative Just ahead of the Paris conference the Kingdom hosted the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum (CSLF) and earlier the Global Methane Initiative. Co-chaired by then Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Ali in Ibrahim Al-Naimi and Ernest Moniz, Secretary of Energy for the United States, the 6th ministerial meeting of the CSLF in Riyadh sent out a clear message that collaboration and international unity would be critical in the meeting of present and future climate challenges. It also stressed the critical importance of fossil fuels in the global energy supply and the key role of technology innovation in reducing harmful side effects for the environment. The level of Saudi Arabia's engagement received international notice. Barry K. Worthington, executive director of the United States Energy Association reflected the feedback of many when he said: "If you look globally, Moniz and Al-Naimi are arguably the two most important energy ministers in the world. And for the two of them to be as a team co-chairing the CSLF ministerial meeting – to use a cliché — you cannot get much better than that." Fast forward to 2016 and to COP 22 and Saudi Arabia takes its seat at the table, internationally recognized as meaningful contributor to the climate change challenge. Ambitious contributions There is a new minister and a newly titled ministry, Khalid Al-Falih, minister of energy, industry and mineral resources. In his forward to the Kingdom's COP22 website, Al-Falih underscored Saudi Arabia's contribution to engage in the search for solutions to a global problem. "The COP 22 conference will focus on action items to achieve the balanced priorities of the Paris Agreement," he said, "Especially in relation to adaptation, transparency, technology transfer, mitigation and capacity building. We view the Paris Agreement as balanced and fair, and this will pave way to effective implementation in addressing our climate goals and sustainable development goals holistically. "It is encouraging to note that the Paris Agreement has achieved the threshold for entry into force, and Saudi Arabia is determined to see it implemented. In fact, we have managed to complete our ratification process of the Agreement before COP 22 in Marrakech and we are updating our environmental plan to ensure timely implementation. "Saudi Arabia hopes that as the "COP of Action," COP 22 will produce an equitable outcome enabling sustainable economic and social development. Ever since the issue of climate change was brought to the world's attention, the Kingdom has maintained a consistent view, calling for meaningful options that encompasses the concerns of developing nations under the auspices of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)," Al-Falih said. Saudi Arabia's engagement involves key stakeholders, notably, in the energy sector Saudi Aramco and the Kingdom's scientific and academic institutions. Collaboration The recent King Abdullah Petroleum and Research Center's Energy Dialogue 2016 saw Saudi Aramco President and CEO Amin Nasser put climate change front and center of his keynote address. He cited the CSLF and the Global Methane Initiative as examples of Saudi Arabia shouldering its responsibility as part of a global mission to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gases (GHG). "Research and technology are critical to a successful energy transformation," he said, "Collaboration is an area of vital importance and Saudi Aramco recognizes the power of partnerships." Nasser went on to highlight the role to be played by KAPSARC and other scientific institutions within the Kingdom. He urged them to, "make an important contribution on climate change knowledge and research and create greater value for the Kingdom through value-adding research and studies in a range of areas, from monetization of the Kingdom's resources to studies on economy, energy, social issues and trade." Nasser was speaking to an audience made up of some of the world's most influential policymakers and researchers in the energy sector. Prince Dr. Turki Bin Saud Bin Mohammed Al-Saud, president of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), said: "Through this exchange I have learned a few things that are important. The interactions, the discussions, the questions – these interactions are very important for the Kingdom and I think it will enhance the collaboration between local institutions and opens doors for international collaboration. "For the Kingdom, I think that through the collective work by all agencies here, KAPSARC is building its capabilities. It has shown that it is ready and I hope that this kind of activity continues in KAPSARC." Dr. Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of IHS Markit and Pulitzer Prize winning author and leading authority on energy, international politics and economics, took note that Saudi Arabia, with its energetic engagement with the climate challenge and its Vision 2030 roadmap for a more sustainable future is now a major global contributor. "This was a very constructive, broad-ranging and enlightening conference and very much reflected the agenda of Vision 2030, in terms of its focus on economic reform, economic development and making the economy more competitive. It's a very different dialogue than it would have been two or three years ago. So you can see the impact of Vision 2030 and also what the important issues about what the energy mix is going to be like in the next several decades. This was a real contribution, both for Saudi Arabia and international understanding." Last week, with COP22 nearing on the horizon, the Kingdom joined forces with nine other member of the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) in announcing a $1 billion investment over the next 10 years to develop and accelerate the commercial deployment of new innovative, low emissions technologies. Each of the 10 members of the OGI has pledged to plough $100 million into the Climate Investments initiative. The OGCI meeting coincided with Saudi Aramco's announcement of the company's acquisition of Converge a polyol technology from US-based Novomer. According to Amin Nasser: "There is compelling logic to the Converge polyol technology deal, as it enables the conversion of waste CO2 into cleaner high-end products with significant performance, cost and carbon footprint improvements. The deal also enables the development of new technological growth areas in line with Saudi Vision 2030 objectives of economic diversification and job creation." So, Saudi Arabia is offering consistent proof of its commitment to taking its responsibilities seriously on climate change while fundamentally recalibrating its economy for a more sustainable, balanced and less hydrocarbon reliant future. It is this holistic approach that the Saudi delegation will represent at COP22 in Marrakech.
