while maintaining the kingdom's leading role in strengthening security and stability of global oil markets," Prince Mohammed said in recorded remarks.
He said the kingdom would join a global initiative on slashing emissions of methane by 30% from 2020 levels by 2030, which both the United States and the EU have been pressing.U.S.climate envoy John Kerry is due to attend a wider Middle East green summit Riyadh is hosting on Monday.
Saudi energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said Riyadh, a signatory to the Paris climate pact, had already submitted its nationally determined contributions (NDCs) - goals for individual states under global efforts to prevent average global temperatures from rising beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.The SGI aims to eliminate 278 million tons of carbon emissions per year, the crown prince said, up from a previous target of 130 million tonnes.Saudi Arabia in March pledged to reduce carbon emissions by more than 4% of global contributions.