Brother, Can You Spare a Riyal? Saudis Ask For Possible Financial Assistance If World Reduces Emissions

The line of countries asking for handouts as part of the global warming agreement included a curious member: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is concerned that if environmentalism should ever break out, the Kingdom could suffer. Accordingly, they are quietly asking that the KSA not be forgotten in the list of needy nations.

An International Energy Agency report this week showed that OPEC revenues would increase $23 trillion between 2008 and 2030 — a fourfold increase compared to the period from 1985 to 2007. However, the Saudis insist that those figures are “biased” and do not account for the KSA’s status as a fragile economy. Of course, they also do not account for the prolific spending of the Royal family, here. Of course, payments from the impoverished family can be slow, here.

Saudi Delegate Mohammad S. Al Sabban pointed out that Saudi Arabia would lose $19 billion a year starting in 2012 under a new climate pact and “[w]e are among the economically vulnerable countries.” Recognizing that this would not go over well, he added “[t]his is very serious for us.”

He noted that the KSA is still a developing nation and any global agreement “means you will transfer the burden to developing countries, especially to those highly dependent on the exploitation of oil.”

In other news, below is the new KSA national anthem:

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