The foundations of this other shift towards sustainability and environmentally friendly solutions, linked to economic diversification, through investment in new non-hydrocarbon sectors such as tourism, sports and technology, can be addressed as follows: 1-Digital Transformation: Fifteen priority technologies have been identified for the country’s development journey, including artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and cybersecurity. Digital investments in the country through these priority technologies are expected to reach $5.7 billion by 2026, compared to $1.65 billion in 2022. This initiative drives the transformation of vital economic sectors, including transportation, healthcare, tourism, and education, enabling sustainable growth in those crucial sectors.
2- Water Resource Management: Qatar relies on water desalination technologies to meet its water needs, which consume a significant portion of energy. Therefore, the country seeks to improve the efficiency of desalination plants and r
educe energy consumption in these processes, in addition to water reuse programs, reducing the depletion of natural water resources.
3- Exemplary Projects And Sustainable Cities: Initiatives such as Lusail City, Msheireb Downtown Doha, and The Pearl have been launched to serve as models for sustainable cities. The state has injected massive investments into these cities and areas to provide green infrastructure and smart energy consumption control technologies. For instance, Lusail integrates smart technologies with energy-efficient buildings and seamless smart transportation solutions, while Msheireb Downtown Doha incorporates smart infrastructure into its fabric to create environmentally friendly urban centers.
4-Education, research, development, and awareness: Qatar supports sustainability education through universities and educational institutions, investing in research and development to innovate new solutions for sustainable energy. The state also launches awareness programs to increase the understand
ing of the importance of sustainability in schools, universities, and the general community.
5-Circular Economy: Qatar adopts the principle of the circular economy, aiming to reduce resource wastage through reuse and recycling. This includes recycling industrial waste and using secondary products in other operations.
6-Sustainable Transportation: Qatar is developing sustainable transportation systems such as the Doha Metro and electric buses to reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector. Qatar Airways implements comprehensive sustainability strategies balancing its business operations with long-term sustainability policies, including environmental protection and social responsibility. Qatar also supports clean transportation infrastructure, such as smart grids, and encourages the use of electric and hybrid cars.
7-Energy Efficiency: Qatar has launched programs to improve energy efficiency in residential and industrial buildings, including promoting the use of high-efficiency appliances and impl
ementing environmentally friendly building standards. The State also set strict energy efficiency standards for new buildings.
8-Environmental Initiatives: Qatar has launched projects to protect marine environments and coral reefs, combat marine pollution, and reduce air pollution. It enforces strict policies to limit industrial emissions and improve air quality.
9- International Cooperation and Participation in Global Initiatives: Qatar participates in the Paris Agreement and supports international initiatives such as the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), enhancing its collaboration with the international community to achieve sustainability goals. Doha hosts many international conferences focusing on environmental and energy issues, including Expo 2023 Doha, which was aimed at increasing green spaces, and before that, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which was the first carbon-neutral edition.
In response to these developments, economic expert Fawaz Al Hajri highlighted the positive impact of Q
atar’s economic diversification on sustainability practices. He stated that the public policy measures taken by Qatar to assist in economic diversification have bolstered economic growth through a package of actions. Most notably, the State focused on sectors such as tourism, hospitality, services, transportation, real estate, logistics, and others. He pointed out that Qatar received over 4 million visitors in 2023, boosting the recovery of sectors like hospitality, sports, shopping, exhibitions, festivals, and more, alongside significant expansion in the trade and finance sectors.
He added that economic diversification efforts are progressing well, focusing on building a diversified economy with reduced reliance on hydrocarbon activities, increased role of the private sector, enhanced competitiveness, and sustainability, as outlined in Qatar National Vision 2030 and the 3rd National Development Strategy 2024-2030.
He noted that Qatar has witnessed diverse and rapid economic growth across all sectors in rec
ent years, emphasizing that the economic diversification strategy adopted by the country serves as an economic safety net against global economic fluctuations. He expects widespread economic growth driven by recovery in both hydrocarbon and non-hydrocarbon sectors.
According to data from the National Planning Council, the total number of new projects subject to environmental impact assessment increased from 2,428 projects in 2021 to 2,676 projects in 2022, reflecting growing interest in the environment and sustainability alongside developmental progress. The assessed projects in the past year included 572 large projects, 1,433 small and medium-sized projects, and 671 industrial projects.
Moreover, the data indicates that 99.8% of treated wastewater in wastewater treatment plants was utilized in agricultural irrigation at a rate of 76.13 million cubic meters per year, and in irrigating green areas 113.34 million cubic meters per year, and in injecting underground reservoirs by about 50.60 million cubic meter
s per year.
All these efforts reflect Qatar’s serious commitment to positioning itself at the forefront of countries achieving a balance between economic growth and environmental protection, which contributes to achieving its National Vision 2030 and its leadership in the transition towards sustainability and the green economy and reducing carbon rates to maintain a sustainable environment, ensuring the continuity of national economic growth in the long term.
Qatar’s National Vision 2030, launched in 2008, outlined a package of steps to be achieved, including measures to reduce emissions in key sectors such as oil, gas, energy, water, transportation, construction, and industry, accelerating the transition towards sustainable public transportation, designating areas for natural habitats and environmental protection, ensuring reliable and sustainable water supplies to protect water resources in the long term, enhancing water consumption rationalization practices, adopting circular principles in industrial ope
rations, encouraging the development and adoption of sustainable and efficient resource utilization practices, supporting innovative agricultural practices focusing on high-productivity sustainable agriculture, and implementing requirements for green building construction.
Source: Qatar News Agency