Sustainable development and combating climate change are among the top priorities of Qatar. The country is a signatory of many international charters and conventions on climate and environment protection.
In September 2021, Qatar’s Council of Ministers approved the National Climate Change Plan, a strategic framework reflecting Qatar’s long-term sustainability goals and need to respond effectively to the climate crisis. An integral part of the Qatar National Vision 2030 and in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the plan sets out Qatar’s commitment to tackle climate change by diversifying the economy, building capabilities, and optimising the use of natural resources. It establishes national climate targets to enhance climate resilience through more than 35 measures and over 300 adaptation initiatives focused on mitigation.
Qatar’s hosting of Expo 2023 Doha aims to enhance international collaboration on environmental issues and fighting desertification.
Minister of Municipality and Chairman of the national committee for hosting the Expo H E Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie has said that the event seeks to encourage, inspire and inform public about innovative solutions for reducing desertification. The Expo will engage the global community and unify its ranks in order to achieve a sustainable future.
The country aims to plant 10 million trees as part of Qatar National Vision 2030. It marked 1 million tree plantations on December 18, 2022. The massive campaign to plant trees seeks to reduce carbon footprint as studies suggest that a big tree observes carbon emission of four vehicles.
The measures by the Public Parks Department at the Ministry of Municipality to overcome the challenges of water for irrigation are expected to increase the number of public parks and green areas manifold in the coming years. The public parks are expected to increase two to three times from the existing 143 parks.
The biggest challenge in the way of plantation is water scarcity, which is being overcome with the support of Ashghal by using treated water. The ministry in cooperation with Ashghal is laying pipelines of treated water along roads and as soon as the work is completed, the roadside plantation will start.
The country has seen remarkable increase in public parks and green spaces in the past 12 years. The number of public parks in Qatar reached 143 in 2023 from 56 in 2010. The green spaces in the country rose to over 43 million square metres in 2022, from about 2.5 million square metres in 2010.
