Australia And Saudi Arabia: More In Common Than Camels

I almost felt like an Olympic cyclist finishing their race when I pumped my fist in the air at the end of the 90 Mile Straight on the Nullarbor today. At 146.6km long, it’s Australia’s longest stretch of straight road, and one of the longest in the world.

So what has this got to do with Saudi Arabia? Well, Saudi Arabia is home to the world’s longest stretch of straight road. Its Highway 10 has a straight stretch of over 240km.

But Australia and Saudi Arabia share more than long straight roads. And it’s not something we can be proud of in the face of the global climate crisis. Australia and Saudi Arabia are both petro-states. We are two of the biggest fossil fuel exporters in the world. Australia is the world’s biggest coal exporter and a top three gas exporter. Saudi Arabia is the world’s biggest oil exporter.

Coal and gas exported from Australia produces about 1.1 billion tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually. Saudi Arabia's oil exports contribute around 1.2 billion tonnes. To put this in perspective, Australia's total domestic emissions are about 490 million tonnes per year, meaning emissions our fossil fuel exports are more than double our domestic emissions.