Officials from Saudi Arabia last week announced plans to become within the next several decades. Speaking at the Global Economic Symposium in Brazil, Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Saud of the Saudi Arabian royal family said that by converting the country to renewable energy, Saudi Arabia鈥檚 oil reserves could be used to produce other goods such as plastic and polymers. The Prince specifically cited the countries vast potential for solar power, as well as the use of Saudia Arabia鈥檚 depleted oil fields for carbon capture and storage. Almost all of Saudi Arabia鈥檚 energy currently comes from fossil fuels, with two-thirds from oil and the rest from natural gas. So far, environmentalists have greeted the announcement cautiously. “It speaks volumes that a Saudi prince can see the benefits of switching to clean energy sources,鈥 said Greenpeace political director Joss Garman. 鈥淏ut Saudi Arabia will only truly be a green economy when it leaves its fossil fuels in the ground.”
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