Bahrain plans for net-zero carbon emissions by 2060

The announcement comes a day after Saudi Arabia said it would slash emissions to zero by the same date

An oil pump in Bahrain's Sakhir oilfields. The country aims to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2060. AP

Bahrain aims to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2060 to address the challenges of climate change and protect the environment, the state news agency reported on Sunday.

The announcement came a day after Saudi Arabia said it planned to reach net-zero by the same date.

Bahrain's Cabinet said it welcomed the Saudi Green Initiative – an ambitious environmental plan for Saudi Arabia, that includes the net-zero target.

The net-zero initiative highlights the importance of developing green sectors and making efforts in various fields in order to overcome the problem of climate change, said Dr Mohammed bin Daina, Bahrain's special envoy for climate affairs and chief executive of the supreme council for the environment.

He stressed the importance of redoubling efforts to transform global cities into more sustainable areas through initiatives that contribute to reducing negative environmental and climate impacts.

These includes the use of clean technologies and creating new and creating more sustainable jobs, said Mr bin Daina.

Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday that it will follow a framework for managing and reducing emissions known as the “circular carbon economy approach".

The closed-loop system involves reducing, reusing, recycling and removing carbon from the environment.

Riyadh said it also plans to more than double its target of reducing annual carbon emissions to 278 million tonnes by 2030. This compares to a previous target of 130m tonnes.

Delegations from across the Middle East, plus US climate envoy John Kerry, are meeting in Riyadh on Monday to discuss the region’s environment and strategies to meet the impact of climate change, as well as cut emissions.

The news comes days before world leaders travel to the UK for the Cop26 UN Climate Conference to discuss action towards the Paris Climate Agreement.

That aims to limit temperature rises to less than 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and ideally less than 1.5°C above above pre-industrial levels.

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