Saudi Arabia turns deserts into parks and farmlands

As the world’s second-largest oil producer, Saudi Arabia is fighting its image as a polluter by generously investing in green technologies. To combat advancing desertification, the country is introducing innovative methods to transform barren, arid areas into lush landscapes.

Ambitious goals of the green initiative

A staggering 95% of Saudi Arabia’s territory is classified as desert. The remaining areas are at significant risk of degradation—over the past 20 years, the country has lost 50% of its forest cover. In 2016, the government, in collaboration with the World Bank, developed a strategy called Vision 2030, aimed at achieving sustainable development goals, including environmental protection, energy transformation, reforestation, and land reclamation. Implementation began in 2021 under the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI).

So far, 85 green initiatives worth over $187 billion have been launched under SGI. In Thadiq National Park, approximately 100 terraces have been created to collect rainwater that nourishes shrubs and young trees. Local activists boast that birds have already returned to the desert.

Overall, SGI plans to plant 10 billion trees, reclaim 40 million hectares of degraded land, and designate 30% of the country’s area as reserves. The initiative aims to restore key ecosystem functions and provide societal benefits, including improved air quality and reduced impacts of sandstorms.

Clean water, fertile compost

One of the most intriguing green projects in Saudi Arabia is being implemented by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) under the leadership of Professor Peiying Hong. The project involves an innovative method of wastewater treatment using microorganisms that convert carbon into methane, which powers the facility. The entire process takes place in a bioreactor equipped with an anaerobic membrane, resulting in water that, after filtration and UV disinfection, can be used in agriculture.

This innovative approach reduces reliance on seawater desalination, which is highly energy-intensive and associated with significant greenhouse gas emissions. A prototype facility on the Jeddah desert already treats 23,000 liters of wastewater daily, and the resulting biomass is used as fertilizer in desert areas.

To enrich barren, dry soils, KAUST is also implementing another initiative to develop carbon-enriched compost derived from chicken manure. The special formula retains water and nutrients while supporting microbial diversity. The product can be mixed with desert sand to create fertile soil for forests and agricultural crops.

The university is also developing other soil additives, such as superhydrophobic sand created by coating regular sand grains with a nanoscale wax layer. Applying just 5-10 mm of this sand to the soil surface reduces evaporation by 56-78% and increases substrate moisture by 25-45%. Experiments on growing tomatoes, barley, and wheat have shown a potential yield increase of up to 73%.

Saudi Arabia – grand ambitions or hypocrisy?

The widely advertised government-led eco-initiatives do not drown out controversies surrounding Saudi Arabia’s actual economic strategy. Massive investments in carbon sequestration technologies and hydrogen production are often seen as greenwashing to delay transitioning away from fossil fuels.

The European Center for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR) has openly criticized SGI, accusing the Saudi government of disregarding environmental justice. State-owned Aramco, considered the world’s largest commercial emitter of greenhouse gases, has been accused of false ecological commitments and manipulating emissions data. Will the desert-greening initiatives succeed in convincing skeptics of Saudi Arabia’s intentions?