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Trending: The Denial Files: 7. The truth behind Saudi’s eco-city

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The Denial Files

04/12/2021 GMT

7. The truth behind Saudi’s eco-city

BBC World Service - Trending, The Denial Files, 7. The truth behind Saudi’s eco-city

Saudi Arabia says it’s going green. But will the reality live up to the rhetoric?

Saudi Arabia, one of the world's biggest oil producers, says it’s pivoting to green energy. But will the reality live up to the rhetoric?

Saudi Arabia, one of the world's biggest oil producers, says it’s pivoting to green energy. It has a host of big projects and initiatives. But will reality live up to the country’s rhetoric? And why do some activists say they’ve become victims of the government’s grand plans?

We’ve been looking at online chatter and PR campaigns pushing the country’s green credentials. At the same time, experts say Saudi officials are trying to secure the future of the country’s huge fossil fuel energy industry. 

And we hear from an activist who’s fighting on behalf of people displaced by NEOM, a brand new futuristic eco-city in the middle of the desert.

Trending and BBC Arabic have been investigating the truth behind Saudi Arabia’s green plans, and we ask whether the government is really serious about reducing its reliance on fossil fuels.

Presenter: Merlyn Thomas
Producer: Reha Kansara
Series producer: Vibeke Venema

Trending: The Denial Files

How disinformation and denial are threatening the fight to prevent climate catastrophe.

Does the battle to prevent catastrophic climate change depend on winning the information war? 

In a special series coinciding with the crucial Cop 26 summit, BBC Trending investigates how disinformation and denial are threatening efforts to combat man-made climate change in different ways around the world. 

The overwhelming weight of global scientific opinion agrees that humanity is at a turning point where only urgent and dramatic action will save the planet from disaster. 

But even as evidence of the dangers mounts up, the push to avert crisis is under attack on a range of fronts. 

This series will explore how vested interests are adopting new tactics to delay, block, or distract attention from what science says needs to be done. And it will examine the role of social media in spreading baseless conspiracy theories that warp debate with potential real life consequences. 

The series will also speak to the scientists and activists who are determined to fight back against the disinformation before it’s too late.

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7. The truth behind Saudi’s eco-city

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