Saudi Arabia’s Journey toward Net-Zero Emissions: Progress and Challenges

Combating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has become an obligation for countries that ratified the Paris Agreement. Saudi Arabia, as a member of the Paris Agreement, pledged to achieve net zero emissions (NZE) by 2060. This endeavor is challenging for all countries. This paper provides an analysis and assessment of the Saudi measures to achieve NZE by 2060. The analysis reveals that Saudi Arabia will reduce the total net emissions to 49.67 Mt of CO₂eq, whereas under a business-as-usual scenario, the emissions would reach 1.724 million tons (Mt) of CO₂ equivalent (CO₂eq). The study reveals that sectors conducting environmental, social, and governance ratings (ESG) and those where the government is a stakeholder are on the right track and will facilitate the government’s efforts in reaching NZE. The gap in reaching NZE will be mainly due to the Saudi steel and cement industries.