In the run-up to the first UN climate summit in the Middle East, US climate envoy John Kerry has discussed environmental challenges in a phone call with his Saudi Arabian counterpart.
Mr Kerry spoke with the Saudi climate envoy, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al Jubeir, in the call on Sunday, during a visit to the region.
It comes less than a month before the start of Cop27 in Egypt's Sharm El Sheikh resort city from November 6 to November 18, when tens of thousands of officials and experts will gather to discuss efforts to reduce emissions and manage climate change.
The pair worked together during Mr Al Jubeir's time as Saudi ambassador to Washington from 2007 to 2015.
In June last year, Mr Al Jubeir welcomed Mr Kerry on his official visit to the kingdom.
Mr Kerry attended a Countdown to Cop27 event at Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island resort in Abu Dhabi, part of a sustainability week staged by The Economist.
“We control it [climate change] ultimately because we are the ones who caused it,” he said at the event.
The conversation follows US President Joe Biden expressing his disappointment with the Opec+ decision to slash oil production on Thursday.
He said the US will look for alternatives, after the cut led to a jump in oil prices weeks before midterm elections that will decide who controls US Congress.
The kingdom strengthened its commitment to advancing the fight against climate change when it updated its Paris Agreement pledge and announced a net zero target for 2060 in October last year.
More than 60 initiatives were announced under the Saudi Green Initiative Forum, which represents over 700 billion Saudi riyals ($186.2bn) in investment to contribute to the growth of the green economy.
Saudi Arabia aims to cut global methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030 through the six-sector solution proposed by the UN Environment Programme, plant more than 10 billion trees and unify sustainability efforts to increase reliance on clean energy, offset the impact of fossil fuels and combat climate change.
