United States (Brussels Morning) This year Rome, and Riyadh are battling it out for who will host the 2030 Expo. Sure, Busan is also in the running is also in race but, everyone knows this is a two-horse race. Japan will host the 2025 Expo and hosting one in another East Asia city so soon would seem reckless.
It’s unclear if Italy has the necessary funds for its grand vision of the 2030 event. The government of Giorgia Meloni would sure like to have a monumental project on its Radar though it remains unclear if Italy can deliver. Rather than a one-off plan the Riyadh Expo is part of a larger vision of Saudi Arabia. For Italy, a well-established tourism destination an expo would be about milking a few more tourist dollars.
If Rome is filled with the trappings of the past – Riyadh offers a vision of the future. Riyadh is a vibrant and growing city that is undergoing a period of rapid transformation. Yet, it is also fitting that it has chosen climate change as a key theme to tackle with the Expo in Riyadh.
The Saudi population is young and educated and the Middle East region is being deeply impacted by climate change. Saudi Arabia is dealing with increased dust storms, flash floods, record-breaking temperatures, and other climate impacts. Coral reefs in both the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf are experiencing bleaching.
The fight against climate change is front and center in Saudi’s proposal for the Expo. The proposed Riyadh Expo grounds is shaped like a traditional garden. A lush labyrinth of greenery is layered in a way to provide natural cooling — how people in the Middle East have mitigated the arid climate for centuries.
The Saudi government has launched a number of initiatives to diversify the economy and create a more sustainable future in which the Expo will play a role. The World Expo would be a major opportunity for Riyadh to showcase its progress and aspirations to the world.
Conversely “The Eternal City” is a historic city with a rich cultural heritage. This is exactly what will make it difficult to pull off the vision of Rome’s Expo organizers in their totality. The Riyadh Expo will feature 246 participant pavilions. These will include all the nations of the world as well as international organizations and non-official participants like NGOs. Planned under the theme “Together for a Foresighted Tomorrow” the country plans to spend $7.8bn on the Expo grounds which will be just minutes from Riyadh airport via mass transit. It will attract tens of millions of visitors. Sustainability is at the center of this vision, right down to its waste management policies.
For Riyadh, the Expo is a catalyst for change under Saudi Vision 2030. After all by that time — a third of the cars in Riyadh will be electric. The Saudi government is investing heavily in new technologies and infrastructure. The Saudi government has made a commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2060. The 2030 Expo pavilions seen from apart might seem like a garden in the desert but, it is a model that much the world can learn from.
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