The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change – in the State of Qatar – has revived a series of awareness activities on the occasion of the International Environment Day, which falls on the fifth of June of each year, under the slogan “reduce pollution with plastic materials”.
The organization of the main events in the Qatar Mall complex came from 1 to 3 June, amid wide participation from different groups of society.
In the same context, the municipality of Al -Khor and Al -Ammuna, in cooperation with the Youth Committee of Al -Khor Sports Club, organized an environmental event under the title “My Environment My Secretary 11” in the Al -Khor Corniche Park.
It included various field activities, most notably the cultivation of trees and plants, with the participation of volunteers and community parties, in a move aimed at enhancing the culture of environmental protection and consolidating the concept of community partnership.
The Ministry of Environment confirmed – in a statement issued last Tuesday – that these activities aim to raise environmental awareness of the dangers of plastic pollution and its effects on land and sea environmental systems, through educational and interactive programs that integrate entertainment with information.
The activities included several awareness pillars, including the “Corner of Righteousness”, which reviewed the effects of pollution on the wild environment, and the “sea corner”, which highlighted the damage caused by plastic to marine life.
In addition to the “Knowledge Garden”, which provided simplified scientific information about the types of plastic and its health and environmental effects. The “Photography Corner” was also devoted to an interactive experience that enhances positive behaviors towards the environment.
In an awareness artistic initiative, students of the Department of Art Education at Qatar University presented paintings that embody the effects of plastic pollution, under academic supervision, in the context of using art as an environmental expression.
The event also included the presentation of an awareness play entitled “Our Environment Beautiful”, which was presented 3 times a day during the first and second days of the event, targeting children and families, in a simple way to transfer environmental messages.
Strategic commitment
Farhoud Al -Hajri, Director of Public Relations and Communication Department at the Ministry of Environment, said that these activities come within the Ministry’s strategy to raise the level of environmental awareness, stressing the importance of involving all segments of society in efforts to reduce the use of plastic materials with a single use.
In press statements, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al -Subaie, said that Qatar plays an active role on the international scene in facing environmental challenges, foremost of which is plastic pollution.
The minister pointed out that the International Environment Day represents an occasion to renew the collective commitment to protect the planet and enhance the concepts of sustainability.
He also stressed that the slogan of this year “eliminating plastic pollution” reflects the importance of unifying international efforts to address this phenomenon, calling for a fair international agreement that takes into account the rights of developing countries and their development conditions.
Dr. Al -Subaie pointed out that the ministry is implementing a package of policies and initiatives aimed at reducing plastic pollution, by enhancing recycling practices, by sorting waste from the source, treating them and converting them into products that can be reusable, with the aim of reducing the depletion of natural resources.
He added that the ministry launched initiatives to encourage investment in specialized recycling centers, in addition to developing the legislative and regulatory frameworks that guarantee the sustainability of these operations, in cooperation with the relevant authorities in the country.
Local and international efforts
In a special statement to Al -Jazeera Net, Abdel -Hadi Nasser Al -Marri, Assistant Undersecretary for Environmental Affairs at the Ministry, said that the State of Qatar is continuing its efforts at the national and international levels to reduce plastic pollution.
Al -Marri pointed out that this is done in the context of the commitment to protect the marine and land environment and ensure the sustainability of biological diversity, taking into account the requirements of development.
He explained that Qatar is participating in a national team in the ongoing negotiations under the international government negotiation committee concerned with the United Nations plastic pollution, which held its latest meetings in Busan in South Korea, noting that the next round will be held next August.
Al -Marri stressed that Qatar has played an active role in coordinating the Gulf position, and adopted a unified Arab position in coordination with the League of Arab States, taking into account the interests of the countries of the region in sustainable development.
He explained that, in the context of its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Ministry is working to implement a regional project to monitor the fine plastic particles (microbelastic) in the marine environment, where the ministry recently received advanced devices within the “Newic Plastic” project to analyze pollutants and measure their levels accurately.
Positive environmental indicators
Environmental indicators in the State of Qatar show a remarkable progress in a number of environmental axes. The percentage of green surfaces in the country increased by 15% during the period between 2017 and 2022, within the framework of the afforestation plan related to Qatar National Vision 2030.
The state seeks to restore 30% of the deteriorating environmental habitats, and to protect 30% of the wild and coastal areas by 2030, as the area of the land and sea reserves is currently about 2981 square kilometers, concerned with protecting threatened species such as Arabian oryx and marine turtles.
The national plan also focuses on protecting 17 species of endangered organisms, as well as improving energy efficiency in the transport and industry sectors, and accelerating the shift towards natural gas and clean energy, within Qatar’s international obligations to reduce emissions and promote sustainable development.