Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed with US climate envoy John Kerry on Wednesday in Riyadh international efforts to curb climate change.

During the meeting, the officials “discussed the kingdom’s initiatives in confronting climate change, reducing emissions and preserving the environment and its components”, Saudi Arabia’s state news agency reported.

The US and Saudi Arabia ” are committed to addressing the increasing climate challenge with seriousness and urgency,” a joint statement issued after the meeting read.

“Both countries affirm the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and taking adaptation actions during the 2020s to avoid the worst consequences of climate change.”

The kingdom has introduced several programmes aimed at slowing environmental degradation and tackling the climate emergency.

“The talks focused on Saudi Arabia’s Green Initiative and the Green Middle East in addition to its efforts during the G20 summit in pushing the adoption of a circular carbon economy,” it said.

The meeting was attended by Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy, Prince Khalid bin Salman, Deputy Minister of Defence, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Abdulrahman Al Fadly, the Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture.

In April, Prince Mohammed launched the Green Initiative and Middle East Green Initiative, part of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 programme to reshape its economy, placing the kingdom at the centre of regional efforts to meet international targets on environmental projects.

Prior to meeting with Prince Mohammed, Mr Kerry was in Abu Dhabi this week for talks that focused on using action on climate change to drive regional and global growth.

The visit earlier this week was Mr Kerry’s second to the UAE’s capital, after he attended the UAE Regional Climate Dialogue several months ago.