The opening session of the Saudi-International conference on Environmental Technology. (SPA)

The Kingdom increased its patents in 2013 by 58 percent for technological inventions and solutions to protect the country’s environment.

This is according to Muhammed Al-Suwaiyel, president of the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), quoting a Thomson Reuters’ study. This makes Saudi Arabia one of the four leading countries for green technology development in the Middle East, he said.

“The Kingdom’s annual growth of 58 percent in patents for inventions in the field of the environment is an indicator of growing awareness and the efforts of local scientists to find solutions for local environmental issues,” Al-Suwaiyel said recently during the opening of the Saudi International Conference for Environment Technology organized by the KACST in Riyadh.

The Kingdom has displayed significant interest in environmental matters and the development and preservation of natural resources, Al-Suwaiyel said. He said this was the goal of scientists over the next five years.

The national plan for science, technology and inventions has prioritized environmental technology as key for the Kingdom’s growth, he said. He said this was particularly important because of the country’s growing population.

Speaking at the event, Abdulrahman Al-Ibrahim, governor of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC), said that 39 million cubic meters of wastewater from manufacturing 8.9 million cubic meters of desalinized water per day, is pumped into the sea.

However, the SWCC makes sure, through field research studies, that the underwater flora and fauna are not harmed by the desalination process. It also implements international environmental standards for the protection of the marine environment, he said.

Saleh Al-Rasheed, director general of the Saudi Industrial Property Authority (Modon), said his organization is committed to environmental protection with the use of advanced systems for air purity in the construction of the industrial cities in the country.

Muhammad Al-Shamisi, the chairman of the conference’s scientific committee, said: “Our need for environmental technology is not only based on economic needs alone but is vital for the protection of human health, and to preserve natural resources for future generations.”

 
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