MAKKAH, Saudi Arabia, June 22, (AP): Saudi Arabia has ambitious plans to welcome millions more pilgrims to Islam’s holiest sites. But as climate change heats up an already scorching region, the annual Hajj pilgrimage - much of which takes place outdoors in the desert - could prove even more daunting.

The increased number of pilgrims, with the associated surge in international air travel and infrastructure expansion, also raises sustainability concerns, even as the oil giant pursues the goal of getting half its energy from renewable resources by 2030.

Next week, Saudi Arabia hosts the first Hajj pilgrimage without the restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic. Some 2.5 million people took part in the pilgrimage in 2019, and around 2 million are expected this year.

Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s wide-ranging plan to overhaul the kingdom’s economy, known as Vision 2030, 30 million pilgrims would take part in the Hajj and Umrah - a smaller, year-round pilgrimage. That would be an increase of more than 10 million from pre-pandemic levels. It will require a vast expansion of hotels and other infrastructure in Makkah and Madinah, ancient cities already largely obliterated by high-rises and shopping malls. The additional pilgrims will require more long-distance flights