Welcome to sustainableqatar
Be the change to create positive impact and strengthen Qatar’s National Vision 2030 to fulfill the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)!
Channel discontent and frustrations into constructive actions.
Make a difference and scale the Power-of-One.
Create your own powerful personal narrative – tell YOUR story of how you participate and reduce your personal carbon footprint by taking control and making better informed consumer choices and decisions!
One person at a time.
What is sustainability?
Sustainability, broadly defined, is economic growth and development within the Earth’s ecological boundaries, like a bank account that stays positive with every transaction.
The term ‘sustainable development’ was formulated in the 1987 paper Our Common Future, also known as the Brundtland Report. In a simple, powerful definition, it described sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” It was a call to action to recognize the importance of protecting natural resources without causing non-repairable and irreversible environmental damage.
Sustainable development can only thrive when firmly grounded in three equally important principles of economic growth, environmental protection, and social equality.
Sustainability continuously grows toward regenerative development, (doing more good, instead of doing less bad), by creating self-sufficient economies that become net-positive – restoring ecosystems upon which we all depend upon for our survival.
SUSTAINABILITY IN QATAR
Despite its water scarcity and fragile desert environment, Qatar ranks top on carbon emissions per capita (35.73 Tonnes), water consumption per capita (500L/day) and waste generation per capita (1.23 kg/day) in the world.
To address these issues, the Qatar National Vision QNV2030 outlines a bold and aspiring vision for Qatar’s future growth and development, based on:
- sustainable human development,
- sustainable social development,
- sustainable economic development and
- environmental sustainability.
We, at SustainableQATAR, wholeheartedly support the QNV2030 and believe in the power of personal actions – sustainability is everyone’s responsibility. To do our part, our vision is to champion environmental sustainability through personal actions. SustainableQATAR focuses its activities and programs on environmental sustainability to nurture new thinking – combining ecology, economy, and equity to build (climate) resilient communities. These complex issues are inherently connected, and unless we address them in the same interconnected manner, it will not be effective.
Our goal is to create actionable knowledge and share information and resources, allowing every individual to make informed, conscious (consumer) decisions and get involved. We aim to engage and inspire the public at large to take action on the grassroots level, building a culture of community service and volunteerism that adds purpose and skills for life.
We strive to connect and engage all residents of Qatar to accept the challenge and favorably position Qatar for hosting the first-ever carbon-neutral FIFA World Cup in 2022, not because of natural resources limitations, but despite of it. Ultimately, we strive to build an educated, connected and engaged community that accepts the shared responsibility, and with our activities and programs – we want to contribute to making this world a better place through a more sustainable Qatar.
Qatar to the Power of Sustainability
22 MARCH: WORLD WATER DAY
According to the World Water Day website:
“Drought and water scarcity – interconnected phenomena that often aggravate each other’s effects – can trigger major setbacks for the most disadvantaged populations: from famine to migration and displacement. A single year of drought can set back years of social development, in particular for vulnerable members of society. Water scarcity alone could cost some regions up to six percent of their GDP by 2050, in turn triggering mass migration and conflict over diminishing resources. In 2017, drought led to the worst humanitarian crisis since the Second World War, when 20 million people across Africa and the Middle East came to the brink of starvation.
“According to the 2018 United Nations/World Bank High Level Panel on Water, 40 per cent of the world’s population is affected by water scarcity, with as many as 700 million people at risk of being displaced as a result of drought by 2030. A lack of water – often the outcome of drought – is already fueling migration due to its impacts on people’s livelihoods.
“Learn more about the UNCCD Drought Initiative here.”
