Doha, Qatar: With a solid commitment to research, comprehensive analysis, and collaborative initiatives, Earthna Center for a Sustainable Future, a member of Qatar Foundation (QF), sets out to identify and address the pressing sustainability challenges in Qatar.
By engaging with international organisations, researchers, and experts, Earthna ensures that Qatar benefits from the wealth of global knowledge and experiences in sustainability. Through collaborative efforts and knowledge exchange, Earthna strives to enhance its understanding, refine the approaches, and implement effective strategies that contribute to Qatar’s sustainable development and hot and arid regions worldwide, said Executive Director of Earthna, Dr. Gonzalo Castro de la Mata.
“At Earthna, we believe that research, analysis, and collaborative initiatives are the key to identifying and addressing challenges. We are actively focusing on several topics through ongoing projects to meet sustainability needs in Qatar,” Dr. Castro de la Mata told The Peninsula.
He exemplified the ongoing collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Qatar University, and the MSC Foundation to launch a conservation programme focused on restoring and safeguarding Qatar’s coastal marine environment.
“This long-term programme aims to restore mangrove forests and assess and monitor the delicate ecosystem. The insights gained from this research will inform the development of educational programs and ecotourism opportunities centered on the restored mangrove forest,” Dr. Castro de la Mata said.
Earlier this year, Earthna developed two reports that explore the benefits of and pathways to adopting a circular economy in Qatar. These reports utilized new and existing research to examine the challenges and opportunities of establishing a circular economy. They identified that by embracing circularity, Qatar can achieve sustainable growth while preserving its cultural identity and values.
“We are also actively working on reports delineating a new understanding of a sustainability framework for Qatar, energy transition, decarbonisation, tactical urbanism and urban planning, biodiversity, ecosystems, Islamic sustainability, and environmental education, among others,” said Dr. Castro de la Mata.
Also, Earthna brings together Qatar Foundation’s sustainability-focused research activities and uses Education City (EC) as a testbed to apply policy and solutions by developing unique case studies to learn.
“We see EC as a microcosm for piloting sustainability policies that could be implemented nationwide. Examples of specific measures to help enhance the sustainability and livability of EC include creating shaded pathways and installing solar panels on EC community housing. We are lucky to have a mini city to test ideas that, if successful, can be expanded across Qatar,” said Dr. Castro de la Mata.
QF aims to reduce and offset the organisation’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and is on a journey toward reducing carbon emissions. With the support of Earthna, QF now reports on its GHG emissions annually and has developed a GHG emissions accounting report following the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s and World Resources Institute’s GHG Protocol.
“The Education City Green House Gas Accounting Project and Report helps QF to identify ways to reduce carbon emissions and enhance sustainability. For example, reducing imports of materials, decreasing energy and water consumption, and removing operational redundancies contribute to more efficient operations. It also helps promote public awareness of climate change action and how it contributes to Qatar’s sustainable development,” said Dr. Castro de la Mata.
“We are also working with Al Wakra Municipality to develop a framework for GHG accounting as part of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between our organisations. The project will create an annual baseline for the municipality, which planned emission reduction projects can be measured against,” he added.
Replying to a question about future projects, Dr. Castro de la Mata said that Earthna would be launching a report outlining the role of Qatar’s liquified natural gas (LNG) exports and how these exports have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by replacing carbon-intensive energy resources, especially coal. “We are also exploring opportunities for decarbonisation through technological advances, including hydrogen as a fuel,” he said.
