Saudi Arabia presents climate pledge ahead of Paris summit

STOCKHOLM (AP) - Saudi Arabia, whose oil-fueled economy could suffer from global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has submitted a climate action pledge to the United Nations.

Though thin on commitments, the Saudi pledge Tuesday was symbolically important because the desert kingdom has been seen as reluctant to join the fight against global warming.

The pledge, just weeks ahead of a U.N. climate summit in Paris, was mainly focused on efforts to diversify the Saudi economy and study the impact on it by international policies to fight climate change.

It also noted that Saudi Arabia, as a desert and coastal nation, is vulnerable to climate change impacts such as heat waves and rising seas.

The U.N. said 158 countries have now formally submitted climate action plans ahead of the Paris conference.