Keyword

Saudi Arabia; green initiatives; environment; desalination; sustainability; economy; economic impact; investment opportunity

Abstract

Saudi Arabia is finally catching up with the rest of the developed world in terms of environmental awareness. In the past, while much of the rest of the world spent its time pondering issues such as global warming, water, air, and soil pollution, over-exploitation of resources, and a myriad of other environmental concerns, the Saudi people and government seemed to be primarily focused on expanding their capital in a globalized economy. However, in 2015, for the first time, this trend began to show legitimate change. This new emphasis on environmental concerns has caused some interest and uproar, specifically in the economic sector. The research, therefore, concentrated on the barriers, strategies, and opportunities that might impede or encourage Saudi Arabia in its quest to develop a greener and more sustainable economic infrastructure. After carefully considering the available literature, data, and reliable statistics, the report concluded that, while change will be difficult and, possibly slow, Saudi Arabia should expect to see greener projects and initiatives transpiring in their homeland over the course of the next several years.


Full Text : PDF

References
  • Al Bawaba. (2014). Green flag, green economy: Saudi Arabian investments in green projects to exceed $26 billion. Retrieved 9 September 2015, from http://www.albawaba.com/business/saudi-arabia-building-sustainability-603019
  • Ali, A. J., & AlAali, A. (2012). Corporate social responsibility in Saudi Arabia. Middle East Policy, 19(4), 40-53.
  • Barau, A., & Al Hosani, N. (2015). Prospects of environmental governance in addressing sustainability challenges of seawater desalination industry in the Arabian Gulf. Environmental Science & Policy, 50, 145-154. doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2015.02.008
  • Coad, J. (2012). Green technology. Chicago, Ill.: Raintree.
  • Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) (2013). Monitoring the transition to a Green Economy in The Arab Region: The SME Perspective. Available from http://www.escwa.un.org/information/pubaction.asp?PubID=1356
  • Kajenthira, A., Siddiqi, A., & Anadon, L. D. (2012). A new case for promoting wastewater reuse in Saudi Arabia: Bringing energy into the water equation. Journal of environmental management, 102, 184-192.
  • Medallah, A. (2015). A Review of Projects and Construction Law Practice in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Politics and Law, 8(1). doi:10.5539/jpl.v8n1p94
  • Ministry of Water & Electricity, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2012. Annual report 2011, pp. 66.
  • Rahman, F., Rehman, S., & Abdul-Majeed, M. (2012). Overview of energy storage systems for storing electricity from renewable energy sources in Saudi Arabia. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 16(1), 274-283. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2011.07.153
  • Sadrzadeh, M., & Mohammadi, T. (2008). Sea water desalination using electrodialysis. Desalination, 221(1-3), 440-447. doi:10.1016/j.desal.2007.01.103
  • SAMA, 2012. Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency: Forty Eighth Annual Report, pp. 356.
  • Saudi Arabia Sustainable Energy. (2015). Saudi Arabia’s 2015 fiscal budget. Retrieved 9 September 2015, from http://sustg.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/2015-Budget.pdf
  • Taher, N., & Al-Hajjar, B. (2014). Energy and Environment in Saudi Arabia: Concerns & Opportunities. Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014. DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-02982-5_2
  • Taleb, H. M., & Sharples, S. (2011). Developing sustainable residential buildings in Saudi Arabia: A case study. Applied Energy, 88(1), 383-391.
  • Wise, J. (2015). Health organisations are urged to end investment in fossil fuels. BMJ, 350(feb03 17), h600-h600. doi:10.1136/bmj.h600
  •