Doha, Qatar: Qatar yesterday celebrated Qatar Environment Day as part of the state’s ongoing efforts to preserve the environment and promote sustainable development.
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change organised several diverse events and reviewed the sustainable environmental initiatives and projects it adopts, which aim to improve the quality of life and ensure a better future for future generations.
On this occasion, Minister of Environment and Climate Change H E Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie stressed that Qatar Environment Day represents a prominent national milestone that works to consolidate the culture of environmental sustainability and enhance community awareness of the importance of preserving natural resources.
He pointed out that this event, which is held this year under the slogan “Our Environment is a Sustainable Giving”, is a major driver for enhancing cooperation between various sectors in the country to contribute effectively to protecting the environment and ensuring its sustainability.
The Minister said that Qatar has made many important achievements in the field of sustainable environmental development during 2024, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.
He said that among the most prominent of these achievements is the launch of the National Strategy of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (2024-2030) under the slogan “Together towards a sustainable environment for a better future”, which includes many ambitious goals, including: reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030, restoring 30% of environmentally affected natural habitats, as well as protecting 30% of wild and coastal areas, in addition to preserving endemic and endangered species, and reducing the introduction of invasive species by 50%.
Al Subaie noted that the Ministry is working to develop the environmental assessment and permitting system, by structuring procedures and creating dedicated paths for priority projects, in addition to automating more than 30 environmental services.
He said that the launch of the “Bee’ah” electronic application in February 2024 contributed to enhancing the customer experience and supporting the digital transformation in government services.
The Minister said that the Ministry has developed an air quality monitoring network, by deploying 45 monitoring stations across the country, in addition to installing 13 new stations to monitor the impact of vehicles on air quality.
He noted that the public can learn about air quality, through the platform on the Ministry’s website, which has been updated recently. Al Subaie pointed out the Ministry’s launch of a public platform for analysing non-ionizing radiation frequencies, in addition to launching an environmental air monitoring system using the “Autogyro” airplane.
Regarding the protection of biodiversity, he said that the Qatari environment is rich in wide biodiversity, as a result of the Ministry’s efforts in this field, noting that Qatari territorial waters contain large numbers of whale sharks and dugongs, which confirms that the marine environment of Qatar is safe.
