Riyadh, Jun 17 (IANS): Visiting US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have committed to address the increasing climate change challenge "with seriousness and urgency".

During their meeting on Wednesday, Kerry and Salman also discussed the ongoing and future Saudi pathways and initiatives to scale clean energy technologies to reduce emissions; collaboration on research and investment in climate mitigation and adaptation; and constructive actions to promote a successful G20 and COP26, the US State Department said.

In a joint statement, the two countries also affirmed their intention to intensify collaboration on the road to Glasgow and beyond, recognising the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and taking adaptation actions during the 2020s to avoid the worst consequences of climate change.

In an extended workshop, the Ministry of Energy laid out concrete plans for achieving Saudi Arabia's announced target of achieving 50 per cent electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030 and for scaling up hydrogen and carbon capture technologies, the State Department added.

This was Kerry's first visit to the Kingdom after assuming the position of US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate.