Following the announcement of The Saudi Green Initiative, representatives from Saudi Arabia and the UK government took part in a third online roundtable hosted by the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water & Agriculture and the British Embassy in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia, Riyadh-: How environmental issues in Saudi Arabia are communicated is as important as the topics themselves; experts from the public and private sector and media outlets noted during a lively virtual forum yesterday afternoon.
Hosted jointly by the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water & Agriculture (MEWA) and the British Embassy in Riyadh, the online event discussed the most effective channels to communicate to the country’s population and climate change topics that spark interest.
The role that Saudi media play in communicating climate issues; how women can help to raise awareness; effective narratives and what environmental topics receive the best response, were at the centre of yesterday’s discussions.
Speaking about the round table, which was a third in the series and part of the معا_لأجل_كوكبنا campaign launched by the British Embassy in Riyadh, the UK’s Deputy Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Richard Oppenheim, said, “Climate change is real and affects all of us. We need to build awareness, and work together to take action to mitigate harmful effects of climate change by reducing our carbon emissions and adapt using the latest technologies. The UK is looking forward to hosting the UN’s climate change conference COP26 in Glasgow this November. The recent announcement by HRH The Crown Prince on the Saudi Green Initiative is encouraging we look forward to working with Saudi Arabia to realise the vision of a greener future.”
Panelists in the round table stressed on the need of a holistic approach to engage audiences on issues of climate change in Saudi Arabia. It was concluded that with a diverse population, and a range of cultures and languages, it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach but with over 50 per cent of the population aged between 25 and 54, this demographic can be the driving force for change.
Yesterday’s virtual roundtable, ‘Communicating on Environmental Issues: what are the most effective channels and narratives in Saudi Arabia?’, was the second webinar in a two-part focus on communicating environmental issues, following the first webinar on 21 March. The 16 March saw the launch webinar with all three online events held as part of the #TogetherForOurPlanet معاً_لأجل_كوكبنا# campaign launched by the British Embassy Riyadh. The campaign is building awareness about climate change and the urgent need for action in the lead up to COP26 (the United Nations 26th annual session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention), which will bring together world leaders, delegates, climate experts and negotiators to agree coordinated action to tackle climate change.
In the run up to COP26, the UK is committed to working closely with governments, businesses, civil society groups, schools and people across the world as part of a global conversation on tackling climate change.
The UK’s Deputy Head of Mission to Saudi Arabia, Richard Oppenheim, was joined by six speakers yesterday including:
Dr. Abdullah Alburaiki, Advisor at the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water & Agriculture (MEWA) presented the Make It Green campaign case study and said, “Make it green campaign was launched by His Excellency the Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture in October 2020 to plant ten million trees, with participation across all sectors – government and private. The first phase of the campaign which ended with the Fall season resulted in the planting of over 6 million local trees . Paused during winter, the campaign resumed in March 21 of this year to fully achieve the campaign target. The Ministery of Environment, Water and Agriculture work cohesively with the National Center for Vegetation Development and all partners for environmental sustainability of a green nation.”
Dr. Majdah Mohammed Aburas, Founder and Chairman of the Saudi Environment Society, (SENS), Review editor for Global environmental outlook GEO-6, United Nation Environment, spoke about the role of NGOs and women in raising climate awareness. She said, Environmental pollution does not result from technical and technological progress alone but from human activities that do not consider environmental protection requirements. Environmental pollution is a problem closely related to patterns of behaviour towards the environment and the lack of awareness about environmental challenges. Therefore, attention must be paid to the population dimension to reduce climate change, especially women, because of their important role in solving this problem. When women are aware of the importance of the resources that the family uses, this will have a great impact on the environment.”
Dr. Fahad Agran, President of the Saudi Press Agency, discussed the role of the media in providing awareness messages on environmental issues. He said, “The media has a significant and necessary role in terms of developing environmental awareness among individuals and societies. In recent decades, the media’s its considerable influence in raising awareness and encouraging a lifestyle that preserves natural resources has emerged. This led to the emrgence of ‘the environmental media’, which aims to highlight environmental issues, shed light on climate change problems and their effects, and raise awareness of their dangers.”
Noor Osama Nugali, Assistant Editor-in-Chief at Arab News talked about the future of Saudi Green initiative – the impact it will have on generations to come and h ow Saudi Arabia, a leader in oil production has turned to sustainability, more conscious of climate change and the environment. She said, “As a leading global oil producer, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is furthering its ambitions in combatting climate change. The Green Saudi Initiative announced by HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was warmly welcomed and is enthusiastically awaited. We look forward to a brighter, greener future!”
Abdulrahman Altrairi, Political Analyst and Writer, OKAZ spoke about the role of media and effective narratives that build the best response in terms of awareness. He said, “The year 2020 was a period of reflection that led to the awareness of the severity of climate change issues and increased attention to them. Preserving the environment is a collective responsibility, hence the importance of the Green Saudi initiative launched by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Therefore, the focus must be placed on the environmental media, which bears the responsibility of driving awareness. The collective considers these issues important. The media representatives must keep pace with modern developments through the use of visual content to communicate with the current generations.”
Saad Al Qasim, Co-founder, JeddahNow, spoke about the effective communication channels in raising awareness. He said, “Social media has a great impact in raising awareness of climate issues. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, there are 27 million active users on social media. The average per capita usage of social media is estimated at 260 minutes per day, in addition to more than 26 million subscribers on the YouTube platform. All these statistics impose a responsibility on the media to look to new directions/ initiatives to communicate with the new generations effectively. Also, documentaries and traditional media are the cornerstones of building environmental awareness in society because it is the reference that remains firmly in the minds of the masses, as many social media posts disappear after 24 hours
Individuals and organisations can share their pledge on their social media channels tagging @UKinSaudiArabia and using the campaign hashtags.
For the latest updates on Together for Our Planet in Saudi Arabia please visit The British Embassy in Saudi Arabia’s social media pages – Instagram:@ukinsaudiarabia Twitter:@UKinSaudiArabia and Facebook: @UKinSaudiArabia
For more information about COP26 please visit ukcop26.org and for Together for Our Planet please visit together-for-our-planet.ukcop26.org