Riyadh: Saudi Arabia launched a new green campaign to reduce desertification in the Kingdom and help develop natural habitats by planting 10 million trees by the end of April 2021, Environment Minister Abdulrahman al-Fadley announced on Saturday.
The head of the Kingdom’s Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture announced the start of the campaign – called “Let’s Make it Green”– on Twitter, which will run from October 10 until August 30, 2021.
“Today I was happy to launch a campaign “Let’s Make it Green” in cooperation with our partners in the public and private sectors to reduce the effects of desertification, develop natural habitats, and improve the quality of life,” al-Fadley wrote.
The ministry will be working closely with the National Center for Development of the Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification throughout the campaign, al-Fadley added.
Desertification occurs when natural or human causes reduce the biological productivity of drylands.
Environmental factors that could lead to desertification include climate change, deforestation, or overgrazing.
The new initiative falls under the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan to achieve environmental sustainability by the end of the coming decade.
The sweeping set of programs, launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2016, aim to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy and reduce its dependence on oil revenues as well as achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals 2030.
“We will seek to safeguard our environment by increasing the efficiency of waste management, establishing comprehensive recycling projects, reducing all types of pollution and fighting desertification,” the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 reform plan states.
Ahead of the announcement, Saudi Arabia’s different ministerial departments tweeted tree emojis to celebrate the campaign and encourage sustainable development in the country.
Courtesy – Al Arabiya English
