Saudi's international credibility on the line in Paris

Saudi Arabia's engagement with the UN climate talks has always been patchy. As an oil producing nation that has profited massively from its fossil reserves, discussions on keeping fossil fuels in the ground were always going to be tricky.

But as global momentum built for a strong international agreement in Paris, even Saudi's Minister of Oil publically stated at a preparatory conference that "in Saudi Arabia, we recognise that eventually, one of these days, we are not going to need fossil fuels. I don't know when, in 2040, 2050 or thereafter." The oil minister even recognised the huge opportunities for generating clean power from Saudi Arabia's vast renewable resources, describing plans for the kingdom to become "a global power in solar and wind energy".

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