Mohammed Rashid Al-Sulaiti
Qatar has experienced rapid economic growth due to the discovery and production of fuel oil and natural gas. Being one of the fastest-growing economies in the region makes the Qatari economy different than its neighbouring states, as the world has never witnessed growth in this pace.
In 2000, Total GDP was $17 billion. By 2014, this figure had increased to $206 billion, and has since continued to rise. Low Carbon Green Growth (LCGG) is a concept that first emerged in 2005 in the Ministerial Declaration adopted at the Fifth Ministerial Conference of Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific. LCGG was not born solely out of economic theory, but rather, it is a vision put forward by policymakers in an attempt to find practical ways of reconciling economic growth and environmental sustainability.
One may ask: what kind of difference the inclusion of LCGG can make in Qatar’s policy agenda? The answer perhaps lies in the amount of disappointment resulting from the repetition of sustainable mechanisms in all mediums without a tangible impact. Nevertheless, there remains great potential in the application of LCGG if handled properly.
Oil and gas are at the heart of the Qatari economy. About 70% of Qatar’s total revenue originates from oil and gas resources. The oil and gas sector accounts for more than 85% of the country’s export earnings and 60% of its gross domestic product. This indicates that the Qatari economy is heavily dependent on its oil and gas resources. Which leads one to ask, what would happen if these natural resources were to become depleted? Does Qatar have a backup plan?
Inevitably, inclusion of economic diversification and the green economy as an economic policy agenda can maintain robustness in the Qatari economy. Another reason that urges Qatar to shift towards LCGG, is the nation’s fast demographic growth. The population of Qatar has five-folded than what it was in the 1990s, which causes stress on infrastructure and available resources.
As the report published by Euromointor International presents, in 2030 the population of Qatar will reach 3.7 million, which is a huge increase of 53.2% from records 2015. Net migration will continue to be the main driver of population growth, accounting for 68.6% of the increase.
Over four fifths of the total population will be made up of foreign citizens and there will be around three men to every female in 2015-2030, due to the country’s reliance on mainly male foreign workers. Qatar’s urban population is set to account for an enormous 99.7% of the population in 2030.
For local policymakers, it will be challengeable to relinquish oil and gas resources, but there is a good possibility to develop strategy to ensure the continued robustness of Qatar’s economy and make a successful green economic model to be followed globally. In addition to this, the existence of the green economy will promote sustainable development and will shift the economy towards a model that serves the environment.
Economic growth and environmental sustainability should not be achieved at the cost of each other. Ultimately, this will improve the quality of life in Qatar and the nation’s environmental footprint. As an outcome of the green economy, green jobs are expected to emerge including but not limited to: clean cars engineers, recyclers, natural scientists, green builders and green design professions.
Despite the benefits that the inclusion of LCGG in the policy’s agenda may have on the local economy, the main impact of LCGG will be on improving the ecosystem in Qatar. Since hydrocarbon resources have been discovered, they have been found to have contributed to unprecedented health symptoms.
A study done by Hamad Medical Cooperation and the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom found there is an association between increasing air pollutant levels and patients admitted for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. The results suggest that children with asthma miss more days of school than those who do not have asthma. The study concluded that there is a seasonal influence of asthma and wheezing on school attendance among students in the spring and autumn when the air pollution is very high during that period.
Although this article has reviewed the benefits of LCGG on economic and environmental quality, LCGG has much wider benefits. No one can deny that oil and gas resources are depletable and the need to shift towards LCGG has become important than ever. An integrated approach can help Qatar to understand how to maximize, prioritize, and sequence its different benefits to human well-being, which can be derived from a healthy environment. Shifting to LCGG is not an easy process and needs to be understood in depth in terms of its opportunities and potential barriers.
South Korea has a magnificent model of LCGG which can be adopted into national policies. The South Korean Government has been pursuing green growth in a comprehensive and vigorous way through promoting green growth as a global agenda, especially as a new development strategy for emerging and developing economies.
In addition, last January, the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) announced that they will be working together with the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) to support the State of Qatar in realizing the Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030. Using and involving the local expertise, particularly resources available in the Qatar National Research Fund, to generate a fortified and correct database to launch a climate change strategy will be the best pathway forward for a sustainable future in Qatar.
The writer is PhD Candidate from Centre for Environmental Policy - Imperial College London
