USQBC releases ‘Qatar Sustainability Report: A Leader in Green Initiatives’

Tribune News Network Doha The US-Qatar Business Council (USQBC) has released the “Qatar Sustainability Report: A Leader in Green Initiatives” on the occasi...

Tribune News NetworkDohaThe US-Qatar Business Council (USQBC) has released the “Qatar Sustainability Report: A Leader in Green Initiatives” on the occasion of Earth Day 2021 and the Leaders’ Summit on Climate hosted by President Joe Biden on April 22 and 23. The report contains critical information on how Qatar is driving sustainability through policy, global leadership, and how the country’s key projects adhere to the highest sustainability standards.In response to rising CO2 emissions, water scarcity and other global environmental challenges, Qatar has incorporated ambitious sustainability goals into its national policy and is assuming global leadership.Qatar has prioritised environmental stewardship across the vision’s four pillars: human development, social development, economic development, and environmental development, throughout the Qatar National Vision 2030, the country’s roadmap for future growth. Qatar has also made significant progress towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, having established indicators for 80.2 percent of the total number of indicators specified by the UN framework. “Qatar is quickly becoming a global leader in sustainability,” said Mohammed Barakat, managing director of USQBC. “In 2021, not only was Qatar ranked 18th overall in the Earth.org Global Sustainability Index, but the country also topped the MENA Region in the World Economic Forum’s Energy Transition Index.”Qatar has ensured that sustainability is at the heart of the country’s economic development by ensuring that some of the largest upcoming projects and initiatives are environmentally friendly. In 2022, Qatar is set to host the first-ever carbon neutral FIFA World Cup with many of the stadiums using solar-power for electricity generation. In 2021, Qatar Petroleum, the world’s largest producer of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), unveiled its new Sustainability Strategy which established several targets in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Some of the goals set forth in the strategy include cutting down emission intensity of the country’s LNG facilities by 25 percent and its upstream facilities by at least 15 percent as well mandating the use of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) facilities.“Environmental stewardship and sustainability is at the heart of Qatar’s future development,” said Sheikha Mayes bint Hamad Al Thani, managing director of USQBC’s Doha Office. “The country has ensured a green future by investing heavily in research, education, and community engagement initiatives.” Qatar has pushed sustainability to the forefront of the country’s educational and research initiatives with key partnerships with US institutions. In 2020, Qatar Foundation partnered with the United States’ NASA to find buried water in earth’s deserts through the design of a satellite mission to probe sand dunes and ice sheets with radar technology. In addition, American-based Texas A&M University at Qatar has introduced a major programme called the Qatar Sustainable Water and Energy Utilisation Initiative and is also playing a crucial role in recycling carbon byproducts from natural gas production and converting them into carbon nanotubes to be used in Qatar’s manufacturing facilities.This report will be followed by another publication that will discuss some of the important initiatives American companies invested in Qatar are taking to combat climate change.Download the report: https://www.bit.ly/3elFmqp