Saudi oil giant Aramco pledged on Saturday, October 23, 2021 to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, while the kingdom, the world’s largest crude oil exporter, said earlier in the day it was aiming for this goal by 2060.
Saudi Arabia also commits to reducing methane emissions
“Aramco is aiming to reduce its net emissions to zero by 2050,” said CEO Amin Nasser at the Saudi Green Initiative forum, which ends on Sunday in Riyadh.
“We know the transition is going to be difficult, but we can rise to the challenge towards a low-carbon future.”
Earlier in the day, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmane stated that his country was aiming for carbon neutrality by 2060.
Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s biggest polluters, also announced that it would participate in international efforts to reduce global emissions of methane (one of the best-known greenhouse gases) by 30% by 2030.
Just a few days away from COP26
These announcements come just a few days before the start of COP26 in Scotland, a crucial moment for determining global carbon reduction targets and combating global warming.
According to the United Nations, more than 130 countries have set or plan to set themselves the target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to a net zero level by 2050, a goal the UN deems “imperative” to preserve a livable climate.
Aramco is also under intense investor scrutiny for its carbon emissions.
In January 2021, Bloomberg had reported that the oil company had failed to include in its reports data on emissions generated by several of its refineries and petrochemical plants.
