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The Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) - The wider available tools that can accelerate world efforts towards achieving climate change targets
Monday, 12 July 2021
7:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Virtual (NY Time)

Side Event

The Ministry of Energy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

As climate change requires a global response that brings together all solutions and efforts, the G20 Leaders endorsed, during their Riyadh Summit on 21-22 November 2020, the Circular Carbon Economy framework (CCE), with the aim of providing a sustainable, pragmatic and cost-effective approach that recognizes the urgency to act on climate change while ensuring access to clean and affordable energy for all. To this end, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as a global energy leading country, developed and promoted the CCE framework, as a holistic and all-inclusive approach that addresses CO2 emissions while generating value.

It is worth noting, that while for more than a century, carbon has been a primary component of energy systems that have enabled economies to prosper, the Earth has been achieving a natural and stable flow of carbon between the atmosphere, ocean, and terrestrial ecosystems, but recently human intervention has been playing a role within this cycle. Therefore, mimicking the natural process of the Earth can restore the human-earth balance and harmonize the carbon cycle. Particularly, the concept of the CCE encompasses the 4 Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Remove and applies them to managing carbon emissions:

  • Reduce: By using energy efficient technologies to mitigate the amount of carbon entering the atmosphere, while noncarbon emitting renewables and nuclear can also play a part.
  • Reuse: By using innovative technologies to capture carbon that can then be used to increase production and productivity.
  • Recycle: By transforming CO₂ into new products such as fertilizer, cement, or other forms of energy like synthetic fuels.
  • Remove: By direct capture from the atmosphere, or through nature-based solutions such as mangrove trees.

    This side event will bring international experts and scientists to discuss the national and global implementation of the CCE framework, as well as enabling policies and technologies, particularly in the context of achieving the SDGs.

  • United Nations