Not in the sense of rivers of acid as one might see in China.
But if you believe in climate change and global warming, Qatar is probably your worst enemy.
Qatar is the top emitter of Co2 in the world. And not just by a smidgeon either.
At a massive 66.6 tonnes of CO2 per person, Qatar emits almost double that of the nearest culprit, the United Arab Emirates.
And close to three times as much as oft-criticised America.
At least, that's according to the clipping sent in by one Qatar Visitor reader.
The source is the World Resources Institute's Climate Analysis Indicators Tool.
For those who live in Qatar it's no suprise.
Lights blaze all night, while landcruisers are slowly being cast aside in favour of even more ridiculously large vehicles.
And with the price of petrol around 20 cents per litre, and most Qataris (and many expats) getting free electricity, there's little incentive to be efficient.
Qatar Visitor Friends
Tags
environment pollution naruto wallpaper 12:12 PM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
But if you believe in climate change and global warming, Qatar is probably your worst enemy.
Qatar is the top emitter of Co2 in the world. And not just by a smidgeon either.
At a massive 66.6 tonnes of CO2 per person, Qatar emits almost double that of the nearest culprit, the United Arab Emirates.
And close to three times as much as oft-criticised America.
At least, that's according to the clipping sent in by one Qatar Visitor reader.
The source is the World Resources Institute's Climate Analysis Indicators Tool.For those who live in Qatar it's no suprise.
Lights blaze all night, while landcruisers are slowly being cast aside in favour of even more ridiculously large vehicles.
And with the price of petrol around 20 cents per litre, and most Qataris (and many expats) getting free electricity, there's little incentive to be efficient.
Qatar Visitor Friends
Tags
environment pollution naruto wallpaper 12:12 PM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
Is Qatar the Most Polluting Country in the World?
Posted by BEST TRAVEL GUIDE on Tuesday, January 12, 2010
We are a big fan of Qatar's mangrove swamps, covering them in our website, and we must be one of the few residents who have actually been snorkelling in them.
The greenery they provide is a great contrast to the scrub of the surrounding desert, and they are of immense benefit both to the environment and to fish stocks.
Yet it seems the swamps, supposedly under official protection, are under continuing attack.
We were upset when the beautiful swamp at Al Wakra was destroyed - a few managed to avoid the destruction but were then lost when the beach was dug up.
Now, according to an article by Fran Gillespie in the Gulf Times, the swamps at Al Dhakira are also being dug up.
The swamps, which were planted by the Qatari government in the 1990's in an admirable attempt to protect against coastal erosion and protect the environment, are in fact protected.
A Goverment resolution forbids the “cutting, or destroying, or transporting plants” and “rooting out or cutting of wildlife organisms or parts of it, or the collection of their seeds unless there are scientific purposes behind it”.
So it's quite suprising that the reason given to an environmental scientist by the engineer on location was simply:
“Local people did not like the smell”.
Tags
mangrove swamps naruto wallpaper 11:34 AM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
The greenery they provide is a great contrast to the scrub of the surrounding desert, and they are of immense benefit both to the environment and to fish stocks.
Yet it seems the swamps, supposedly under official protection, are under continuing attack.
We were upset when the beautiful swamp at Al Wakra was destroyed - a few managed to avoid the destruction but were then lost when the beach was dug up.
Now, according to an article by Fran Gillespie in the Gulf Times, the swamps at Al Dhakira are also being dug up.
The swamps, which were planted by the Qatari government in the 1990's in an admirable attempt to protect against coastal erosion and protect the environment, are in fact protected.
A Goverment resolution forbids the “cutting, or destroying, or transporting plants” and “rooting out or cutting of wildlife organisms or parts of it, or the collection of their seeds unless there are scientific purposes behind it”.
So it's quite suprising that the reason given to an environmental scientist by the engineer on location was simply:
“Local people did not like the smell”.
Tags
mangrove swamps naruto wallpaper 11:34 AM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
50 Spix's Macaws, one of the most endangered birds in the world, are to make their journey from a Qatar conservation centre to their original home: Brazil.
The Spix's Macaw are currently extinct in the wild, and there only around 120 left in the world.
Their continued survival has a lot to do with the efforts of the Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation Center, owned by Sheikh Saud, which bought up much of the remaining stock of parrots and has had great success in breeding them.
Now the center has purchased a huge farm in Brazil in the birds original territory. Domestic wildlife will be removed from the farm in order to allow the parrots to enjoy their natural habitat - an all too rare reversal of the normal order of things!
Also see:
Rare Spix's Macaws to go Back Home: in the Peninsula
Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation Center: official site
Qatar Nature: Articles about Qatar's Natural History
Al Wabra Wildlife Reserve: Qatar Visitor Article
Qatar Jobs naruto wallpaper 4:42 AM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
The Spix's Macaw are currently extinct in the wild, and there only around 120 left in the world.
Their continued survival has a lot to do with the efforts of the Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation Center, owned by Sheikh Saud, which bought up much of the remaining stock of parrots and has had great success in breeding them.
Now the center has purchased a huge farm in Brazil in the birds original territory. Domestic wildlife will be removed from the farm in order to allow the parrots to enjoy their natural habitat - an all too rare reversal of the normal order of things!
Also see:
Rare Spix's Macaws to go Back Home: in the Peninsula
Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation Center: official site
Qatar Nature: Articles about Qatar's Natural History
Al Wabra Wildlife Reserve: Qatar Visitor Article
Qatar Jobs naruto wallpaper 4:42 AM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
Qatar may have a long way to go before it becomes environmentally friendly, but it may be just that little bit closer after one of its citizens invented a solar powered mat.
Camping is a popular hobby in Qatar, but most people have put aside the hardships of the past, when the Bedouin would rely on camel dung to start up fires, and cook in the hot sand below the fires. Instead many now rely on generators to power luxuries from ovens to televisions.
Now, thanks to Qatar's Mohamed al-Sada of the Qatar scientific club, these generators can be powered by the electronic mat he has invented. The mat, which takes five minutes to install, can power a heater, air conditioners, a television, home theatre, 10 laptops and mobile phone chargers.
Mohammed al-Sada stated that he had been inspired by the Green Qatar Goal set by the Emir. We hadn't actually heard of this green goal - but rest assured we will be doing some research into it!
This is a great invention by Qatar, and one the country can be proud of. The price, however, may deter the casual camper - the mat weighs in at a cool QAR250,000.
Also see:
Turning the Desert Green Qatar (Don't take this one too seriously!)
Desert Greenhouse
Camel Farms and Desertification
Tags
alternative energy naruto wallpaper 12:56 AM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
Camping is a popular hobby in Qatar, but most people have put aside the hardships of the past, when the Bedouin would rely on camel dung to start up fires, and cook in the hot sand below the fires. Instead many now rely on generators to power luxuries from ovens to televisions.
Camping in Qatar is not what it used to be...
Now, thanks to Qatar's Mohamed al-Sada of the Qatar scientific club, these generators can be powered by the electronic mat he has invented. The mat, which takes five minutes to install, can power a heater, air conditioners, a television, home theatre, 10 laptops and mobile phone chargers.
Mohammed al-Sada stated that he had been inspired by the Green Qatar Goal set by the Emir. We hadn't actually heard of this green goal - but rest assured we will be doing some research into it!
This is a great invention by Qatar, and one the country can be proud of. The price, however, may deter the casual camper - the mat weighs in at a cool QAR250,000.
Also see:
Turning the Desert Green Qatar (Don't take this one too seriously!)
Desert Greenhouse
Camel Farms and Desertification
Tags
alternative energy naruto wallpaper 12:56 AM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
The Sun: Qatar's other great asset?
In what may seem strange to the UK, which has been frittering away its North Sea oil and gas reserves without any thought to the future, a country which has enough gas to last for a hundred years at its current rate of usage is thinking of a future without fossil fuels.
Qatar may have the world's third largest supply of gas but until recently it has been flirting with the idea of alternative power sources - namely, solar power and nuclear energy.
In February Qatar was considering building a solar power complex with a capacity of 3,500 megawatts, which compares to a current total grid capacity of 4300. That would make it one of the largest solar complexes in the world.
More recently, TCE energy has announced plans to build a $12 million demonstration solar thermal power station, which will hopefully be scaled up if successful.
The country has also been toying with the idea building a nuclear power station, although according to the Guardian UK this is becoming less attractive due to the current fall in energy prices.
Other measures have also been taken recently, as the resident who paid a $2,700 fine for water leakage may have noticed. Penalties have been introduced for the wastage of water and electricity, a camel farm has been introduced which should help prevent erosion and seawater greenhouses, which utilise the sun and the sea rather than fossil fuels to produce crops, are being considered.
There is still an incredible lack of awareness amongst much of the population - and indeed, even as we choke on the air pollution that is causing a record number of allergies and chest problems, it seems that most people don't care.
Houses and buildings blaze out with light all night, not surpisingly when Qataris get free electricity. The first time I saw recycling bins - each neatly labelled with the type of rubbish that should be thrown in it - they were filled with a complete mixture of garbage and food waste, and each citizen either owns a sports utility or lusts after one. Certainly with fuel at around 20 cents a litre they need not worry about buying more economical cars!
As with democracy in Qatar, it seems that the goverment cares more than the people it governs. Which is better, perhaps, than no one caring about it at all.
Iceberg image by Ludovic Hirlimann.
Qatar Visitor Friends
Qatar Jobs
Doha Hotels
Tags
environment desert naruto wallpaper 8:00 PM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
Qatar: Becoming more environmentally conscious?
Posted by BEST TRAVEL GUIDE on Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The Supreme Qatar Desert Development Council (SQDDC) has released its plans for the development of the desert, according to a report in the Qatar Times today. The SQDDC plans call for a greening of the desert which will, in time, return the desert to a much more hospitable environment. Qatar, like much of the Middle East, was once thought to have been a much greener place than it is now, and recent finds of hunting tools designed to kill animals such as aurochs and elephants have lent weight to this theory.
The development of the desert, said Dr Lotfi Al Baloushi, head of the SQDDC, will also involve the building of a new urban area, which will be called Desert City. Virtual images have been released by SQDDC of what the Qatar desert will look like by 2010 - including one where a larger than life Qatari strides across grass with the giant sand dunes at Messaieed (now covered in a verdant green) in the distance. However, one United Nations desert scientist who we contacted, Icelander Dr. S. Keptical, said the plans were over-ambitious.
Qatar Visitor Friends
Qatar Jobs
Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar
Tags
news humour naruto wallpaper 4:19 AM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
The development of the desert, said Dr Lotfi Al Baloushi, head of the SQDDC, will also involve the building of a new urban area, which will be called Desert City. Virtual images have been released by SQDDC of what the Qatar desert will look like by 2010 - including one where a larger than life Qatari strides across grass with the giant sand dunes at Messaieed (now covered in a verdant green) in the distance. However, one United Nations desert scientist who we contacted, Icelander Dr. S. Keptical, said the plans were over-ambitious.
Qatar Visitor Friends
Qatar Jobs
Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar
Tags
news humour naruto wallpaper 4:19 AM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
Qatar is considering introducing the innovative sea water greenhouse into its deserts: a desert greenhouse which utilizes sea and sun to provide a green alternative to desert farming.
The Sea Water Greenhouse utilises, as is suggested by the name, sea water to cool greenhouses. In contrast to traditional desalination projects, which are both energy heavy and consume fossil fuels, the Desert Greenhouse uses the sun to distil the sea water. More sea water is used to cool the Greenhouse, resulting in a temperature 15 degrees lower than outside the Greenhouse. Meanwhile, a specially constructed roof allows light to pass though while removing much of the heat. The resulting rather steamy athmosphere - the greenhouse operates at around 90 % humidity has proved an excellent environment for growing plants. In the case of Qatar, solar power will be used to pump the water from the sea.
This could have huge benefits for Qatar. In addition to the obvious benefits of increasing food self-sufficency and decreasing the use of water, there are environmental benefits. Seeping of water in test greenhouses in Tenerife helped previously damaged and arid areas to resume plant growth. And, of course, the reduced desalination needs will mean more fuel for Qatar's most beloved possession, their Landcruisers.
Qatar is known for its bountiful fish catches - but with an increasing population the Government is acting to preserve fish stocks
In Qatar's poorer days, fish was what sustained the local population. Fish was so plentiful that people were embarrassed to give guests fish - it was seen as being mean, or a sign of poverty. In fact, fish was so plentiful that it was exported to be used as fertilizer.
If you are a fish lover in Qatar, nothing quite beats buying the fish fresh off the boats on the Corniche. There you can buy the long silver king fish, small sharks or bucket loads of crabs - and of course the ugly but very delicious hamour.
For a more complete choice you should visit the wholesale fish market, where you can buy squid, tuna, octopus and a whole range of other fish I couldn't even name. For two riyals a kilo - the price is set by the authorities - a man will clean the fish for you. Just make sure you visit the fish market in the morning, especially in the hot season, or you may find you the stench overpowering.
However, the price of fish has been increasing over recent years. When I first came here I could still buy a whole tuna for 5 riyals at the wholesale market, which would feed the whole family, but those days are past.
Perhaps the reason for increasing prices is due to the increasing population which Qatar's fish stocks are feeding. Three years ago Qatar's population was estimated at 800,000 - many times the few hundred families that lived here at the turn of the century, and just over half the latest estimate of one and a half million.
Now both fans of sea food and fishermen will be complaining after the government has imposed restrictions on the movements of fishing boats.
There already no-go areas in Qatar, but now boats are only allowed to make three trips a month, with each trip lasting no longer than five days.
Fish prices have already increased. According to the Gulf Times on Friday, King fish had increased from QR22/kilo to QR40 a kilo, while the price of Hamour had increased by about 75%.
While fishermen and consumers in these countries may be complaining, those in other countries should be wishing that their countries had taken the same steps years ago. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, commercial fish populations in the North Atlantic of cod, hake, haddock and flounder have fallen by as much as 95%.
I have also seen it personally. Catches of mackerel on trips home have fallen every year, while on a return trip to a town in Spain I was sad to see the once proud fleet of fishing boats reduced to just three solitary ships.
I was surprised to see that the market and the shops were still well stocked with fish - until I was told that they were now all imported. It seems that the answer of those countries who have destroyed their own fish stocks is now to destroy other country's.
Nitin Desai, Secretary General of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, has warned that:
Acting strongly to preserve fish stocks now might mean that, unlike much of the rest of the world, the population of Qatar can continue to eat fish for years to come.
Qatar Visitor Friends
Qatar Jobs
Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar
Tags
environment marine fish naruto wallpaper 2:57 AM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
In Qatar's poorer days, fish was what sustained the local population. Fish was so plentiful that people were embarrassed to give guests fish - it was seen as being mean, or a sign of poverty. In fact, fish was so plentiful that it was exported to be used as fertilizer.
If you are a fish lover in Qatar, nothing quite beats buying the fish fresh off the boats on the Corniche. There you can buy the long silver king fish, small sharks or bucket loads of crabs - and of course the ugly but very delicious hamour.
For a more complete choice you should visit the wholesale fish market, where you can buy squid, tuna, octopus and a whole range of other fish I couldn't even name. For two riyals a kilo - the price is set by the authorities - a man will clean the fish for you. Just make sure you visit the fish market in the morning, especially in the hot season, or you may find you the stench overpowering.
However, the price of fish has been increasing over recent years. When I first came here I could still buy a whole tuna for 5 riyals at the wholesale market, which would feed the whole family, but those days are past.
Perhaps the reason for increasing prices is due to the increasing population which Qatar's fish stocks are feeding. Three years ago Qatar's population was estimated at 800,000 - many times the few hundred families that lived here at the turn of the century, and just over half the latest estimate of one and a half million.
Now both fans of sea food and fishermen will be complaining after the government has imposed restrictions on the movements of fishing boats.
There already no-go areas in Qatar, but now boats are only allowed to make three trips a month, with each trip lasting no longer than five days.Fish prices have already increased. According to the Gulf Times on Friday, King fish had increased from QR22/kilo to QR40 a kilo, while the price of Hamour had increased by about 75%.
While fishermen and consumers in these countries may be complaining, those in other countries should be wishing that their countries had taken the same steps years ago. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, commercial fish populations in the North Atlantic of cod, hake, haddock and flounder have fallen by as much as 95%.
I have also seen it personally. Catches of mackerel on trips home have fallen every year, while on a return trip to a town in Spain I was sad to see the once proud fleet of fishing boats reduced to just three solitary ships.
I was surprised to see that the market and the shops were still well stocked with fish - until I was told that they were now all imported. It seems that the answer of those countries who have destroyed their own fish stocks is now to destroy other country's.
Nitin Desai, Secretary General of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, has warned that:
“Overfishing cannot continue. The depletion of fisheries poses a major threat to the food supply of millions of people.”
Acting strongly to preserve fish stocks now might mean that, unlike much of the rest of the world, the population of Qatar can continue to eat fish for years to come.Qatar Visitor Friends
Qatar Jobs
Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar
Tags
environment marine fish naruto wallpaper 2:57 AM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
After writing my recent post on environment in Qatar, I was impressed to see that Qatar is now planning to start producing electricity from waste.
Qatar is also considering additional energy from a nuclear power plant.
Also see Qatar's Natural History by author Frances Gillespie
(Image above by Gin Able)
naruto wallpaper 11:59 PM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
Qatar Environment: Waste, Solar Panels and Electricity
Posted by BEST TRAVEL GUIDE on Tuesday, April 1, 2008
When I first arrived in QatarI couldn’t believe how much energy was wasted. Energy on massive cars, energy on air-conditioning that was never shut off, energy on lights that blazed on all night, energy on a massive construction boom that has only become more frenetic since I arrived.
And never one word about the environment.
Yet despite the lack of awareness, Qatar is one of the countries that stands most to lose from global warming.
The country is low lying, and the Pearl development which it is so immensely proud of is, in places, just two meters above sea-level
What’s more, with temperatures reaching 50 degrees in the height of the summer, the country really doesn’t need to get any hotter.
The first sign of environmental awareness that I noticed was at a food festival, when the school hosting the festival had put out recycling bins. Each bin was to contain a different type of rubbish. Unfortunately, the guests didn’t notice, and the bins were filled with all kinds of different junk – and left-over cake.
But there have been other signs that Qatar is gaining in awareness.
In 2007 Qatar presided over the Montreal conference, and the conference agreed to accelerate the phase out of chemicals that damage the ozone layer.
Other signs have been slow to appear, despite frequent articles on the subject by local naturalist Francis Gillespie, but for the first time on the way to the beach this weekend I noticed signs urging residents not to litter the beaches.
When we got to the beach a large rubbish bin had been planted in the middle, and much of the rubbish we had seen in the past had disappeared.
And in the middle of the desert a camel farm is being established that will be powered purely by solar and wind power. The aim of the camel farm is, through managed farming, to combat or reverse the process of desertification.
Qatar is following a new trend in the region. The UAE is looking at building a huge solar panel farm, and even Saudi Arabia is investing in renewable energy. Countries in the region are also looking at nuclear power as an alternative to oil.
However, just look around and you will see Qatar has a long way to go before it becomes environmentally aware – not least with its huge buildings filled with large windows that leak the coolness from the air conditioners in the summer.
There is an increased environmental awareness. But I fear it is still too little, too late.
QatarVisitor Friends
Qatar Jobs
Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar
Tags
environment Doha naruto wallpaper 1:21 AM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
And never one word about the environment.
Yet despite the lack of awareness, Qatar is one of the countries that stands most to lose from global warming.
The country is low lying, and the Pearl development which it is so immensely proud of is, in places, just two meters above sea-level
What’s more, with temperatures reaching 50 degrees in the height of the summer, the country really doesn’t need to get any hotter.
The first sign of environmental awareness that I noticed was at a food festival, when the school hosting the festival had put out recycling bins. Each bin was to contain a different type of rubbish. Unfortunately, the guests didn’t notice, and the bins were filled with all kinds of different junk – and left-over cake.
But there have been other signs that Qatar is gaining in awareness.
In 2007 Qatar presided over the Montreal conference, and the conference agreed to accelerate the phase out of chemicals that damage the ozone layer.
Other signs have been slow to appear, despite frequent articles on the subject by local naturalist Francis Gillespie, but for the first time on the way to the beach this weekend I noticed signs urging residents not to litter the beaches.
When we got to the beach a large rubbish bin had been planted in the middle, and much of the rubbish we had seen in the past had disappeared.
And in the middle of the desert a camel farm is being established that will be powered purely by solar and wind power. The aim of the camel farm is, through managed farming, to combat or reverse the process of desertification.
Qatar is following a new trend in the region. The UAE is looking at building a huge solar panel farm, and even Saudi Arabia is investing in renewable energy. Countries in the region are also looking at nuclear power as an alternative to oil.
However, just look around and you will see Qatar has a long way to go before it becomes environmentally aware – not least with its huge buildings filled with large windows that leak the coolness from the air conditioners in the summer.
There is an increased environmental awareness. But I fear it is still too little, too late.
Qatar
Qatar Jobs
Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar
Tags
environment Doha naruto wallpaper 1:21 AM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
