Riyadh: A climate scientist who works as an advisor for Saudi Arabia’s NEOM megacity project has warned that its construction could disrupt local weather patterns, including wind flow and sandstorm trajectories.
NEOM is Kingdom’s ambitious USD 500 billion megaproject, envisioned as a futuristic, sustainable region in the Tabuk Province. It features The Line (a linear smart city), Oxagon (an industrial hub), Trojena (a mountain resort with year-round skiing), and Sindalah (a luxury tourism island), all designed to run on renewable energy.
Donald Wuebbles, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Illinois and a paid NEOM adviser, told the Financial Times he had repeatedly raised environmental concerns with the project’s Sustainability Advisory Committee.
“Part of my concern was, what impact is The Line and those [projects] going to have on the local environment . . . you start affecting the local weather and climate,” said Wuebbles.
He added that the potential impacts include factors that “have not been studied enough,” such as shifts in rainfall patterns and the intensification of wind and storms in desert areas.
Wuebbles said that while NEOM had commissioned academic studies to investigate these concerns, the findings were not shared with him.
His comments follow a recent announcement by NEOM’s CEO of a full project review, reportedly due to financial pressures and falling energy prices. As part of this review, the future of NEOM’s sustainability committee is also under consideration.
Wuebbles added, “The whole operation has been slowed down by six to twelve months.”
What is NEOM?
NEOM covers an area of approximately 10,200 square miles (26,500 square kilometres) in northwest Saudi Arabia. An initiative of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, NEOM is a vast area earmarked for development
Although often referred to as a smart city, NEOM is more accurately described as a region that includes cities, resorts, and other developments.
The project is largely financed by the Public Investment Fund, which invests on behalf of the Saudi Arabian government. The Saudi Development Company, formed to create NEOM, led by Chief Executive Officer Nadami al-Nasr, claims the fund will contribute 500 billion dollars to the project.
It is a key component of Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the country’s economy and reduce its dependence on oil.
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