Climate change is having significant and diverse impacts, like higher temperatures, lower precipitation and sea level rise on Saudi Arabia's environment, society and economy. agricultural, fishing and tourism industries. Saudi Arabia is the fourth largest consumer of oil in the world, even as it is the 20th largest economy and 41st largest population.

Saudi Arabia is located in the Persian Gulf region in West Asia. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia comprises about four-fifths (80%) of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered on the west by the Red Sea; on the east by the Arabian Gulf. Almost two thirds of the country is arid steppe and mountains. Most of the remaining land is sand desert. Climate change is likely to have adverse effects on sensitive ecosystems especially due to impacts on desertification processes. Between 2007 and 2021, Saudi Arabia saw its population increase by more than 40% from 25.18 million to 35.45 million people and it has continued to grow further to 36.5 million in 2023. The population increase is likely to increase energy demand, and thus, greenhouse gas emissions.

Saudi Arabia has made pledges to become net zero, as well as made other clean energy goals. Scholars have expressed doubts about Saudi climate pledges due to the Saudi regime's track record of noncompliance with its prior climate goals and the extensive dependence of the Saudi economy on fossil fuels. Saudi Arabia signed and ratified the Paris Treaty. In 2021, it updated its First Nationally Determined Contributions, with a focus on economic diversification of its economy, reducing and avoiding greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). Efforts to reduce the extent of climate change could be problematic for the oil and gas sector of its economy given that fossil fuels produce more than 70% of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions, reducing their use an international priority.

Saudi Arabia controls about 18% of the world's total known petroleum reserves and is the largest exporter for oil. Saudi Arabia is also one of the largest users of fossil fuels for its economy: In 2017, it used an average of 3,328,000 barrels per day, placing it sixth in global use of fuel. It was also high on the list for electricity usage with its 295 billion kWh making it thirteenth in the world. The majority of Saudi Arabia's greenhouse gas emissions are produced by its electricity, transportation and manufacturing sectors. In 2019, its carbon dioxide emissions was 559.6 million tons. Due to its quickly growing population which is accompanied by increased electricity demand and expansion of the manufacturing sector, energy demand is continuing to rise and with it so are greenhouse gas emissions. Indeed, the nation's gross domestic product rose by about 45% and electricity used per capita rose by 1.378 MWh, further contributing to its emissions.

From 1979 to 2019, Saudi Arabia has seen its mean temperature increase by 2.1°C which is nearly three times more than the world average. The increase has been even more dramatic in the summer months as the mean temperature has increased by 2.5 °C. Because of climate change, there has been a global rise in extreme weather events such as the record heatwaves in the summer of 2010. During this period, the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah saw temperatures reach 52 °C, causing eight of the nation's power stations to shutdown with multiple cities suffering from blackouts. The overall increase in temperature disproportionately affects the country and is dependent on seasons. For instance, the nation's capital, Riyadh saw increases in its average summer temperature increase by 0.067 °C per year between 2009 and 2013 while its winter averages increased by 0.056 °C per year. On the other hand, Tabuk in the north-west saw slightly more gradual increases during the same period with its summer average increasing by 0.058 °C per year and its winter temperatures increasing by 0.042 °C per year. This reflects the overall regional trends in Saudi Arabia of lower temperatures in the north and higher temperatures in the coastal and central parts of the country.

Climate change and the rising temperatures that accompany it lead to the melting of ice and expansion of ocean water. The combination of these processes manifests in the form of rising sea levels, threatening coastal and island nations throughout the world. Saudi Arabia's coastal regions are densely populated and these regions are also important for the economy. Along the country's Red Sea coast are the four major cities of Tabuk, Al Madinah, Jeddah and Jizan. These areas are home to a number of religious and historical sites that are important tourist attractions and they also host agricultural land and oil and natural gas deposits. Sea level rise anywhere can be accompanied by a range of negative environmental consequences. These include flooding in coastal areas, erosion of beaches, contamination of freshwater sources, salinization of soils, and loss of habitats along coasts. Areas to the north and south of Dammam are at the highest risk of inundation in the country and, therefore, are threatened by the accompanying environmental impacts.

Saudi Arabia is a semi-arid nation with limited groundwater resources and no natural rivers or lakes. High temperatures and low rainfall of less than 100mm per year cause the few surface water resources that exist to be unable to meet the nation's needs due to the rate of evaporation being higher than the rate of precipitation. Aridity has only been further driven by the fact that the thermostatic effect from the oceans has shifted the thermal equator. Groundwater, makes up between 80 and 90 percent of water use in Saudi Arabia and comes from both nonrenewable fossil reservoirs and renewable shallow terrestrial aquifers. There are eight aquifers that account for approximately 86% of the non-renewable water while the other 14% is contained within the rest of the secondary aquifers. These aquifers are mostly in the northern and central parts of the country. Because fossil water is non-renewable and the renewable shallow aquifers are being extracted from faster than they can recharge, it is estimated that the reserves of groundwater will runout in under 50 years should the current rates of extraction continue.

Within Saudi Arabia exist some of the most species rich and productive marine habitats in the world in the form of its coastal wetlands. These ecosystems bolster the regional fisheries and house breeding bird populations. Two of the ways in which climate change impacts the wetlands is through the rising temperatures and falling quantities of precipitation which alter wetland hydrology and ecological community compositions. An additional threat imposed by climate change is sea level rise which, when combined with anthropomorphic activities like land development and pollution, make wetlands like mangroves and mudflats the most threatened ecosystems within the country. In the Khulais region, located within the Arabian Shield along the western side of the country, it has been found that the abundance of many of the native species has been declining while presence of invasive species has been on the rise. This is likely a direct result of the increasing temperatures and the reduced levels of precipitation that lower the availability of water in the nation. So, not only is climate change negatively impacting Saudi Arabian ecosystems with its reduction of water resources but also with its facilitation of the growth of harmful invasive species.