Experts call for 'green economic revolution'

A global economic slump will be a “terrible waste” if green technologies are not pursued now, environmental advocates warned in Doha yesterday.

Speaking at a special session on environment held on the opening of the Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), the panel comprising industry and business executives also concurred that the “green economic revolution” is here, ready to be explored.

“The priority is more evident in President Obama’s stimulus package… it is much easier for the government to push for green technologies now than ever,” QSTP operations manager Bo Heiden noted.

US President Barack Obama had been talking up green jobs, green energy, and green infrastructure during his campaign and offered tens of billions of dollars when a stimulus package ($845bn) was announced.

Assistant professor of biology Renee Richer at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar was optimistic when she pointed that some of the new buildings planned at the Education City are going to be ‘green’ and “hopefully that trend, which has started already, will spread to others.”

Commercial enterprises registered to conduct research at QSTP, including ConocoPhilips-backed Global Water Sustainability Centre and Tata’s subsidiary TCE Consulting Engineers were also represented at the panel.

The Water Centre’s managing director Samer Adham maintained they were at QSTP to research on ways to mitigate the environment effects of petroleum water and other industrial wastewater.

“Qatar generally is a water scarce region. What we’ll be looking at is to find innovative ways to increase the portfolio of water resources in Qatar,” Adham said.

TCE general manager JL Tahkker pointed out that 40% energy consumption can be achieved alone by building ‘green’ and “only a mindset is what’s needed.”

“This is where QSTP plays a key role in serving as a forum where all these ideas are synergised,” Tahkker said.

Texas A&M at Qatar’ Chemical Engineering programme co-ordinator and senior assistant professor Ahmed Abdel-Wahab noted that his faculty was already working on utilising the solar energy, abundantly present here.

Aluminium producer Hydro’s senior vice president Tormod Bjork reaffirmed his company’s commitment to zero per cent emission, which according to him, has already reduced by 57% in the last 15 years.

“We moved here to Doha to achieve zero-emission since the country is a provider of the natural gas, cleanest yet source of energy,” Bjork said.

While encouraging the use of aluminium, which has an improved CO2 footprint, Bjork also suggested looking into reducing and recycling industrial and other wastes.

Speaking of students in Qatar, Prof Richer said the students now had a heightened sense of awareness regarding environment but urged the government to seize the practice of heavily subsidising water and power bills since it encourages “overuse”.

QSTP research director Mohamed Abdisalam, who moderated the session, promised the research at QSTP will be applied locally, regionally and internationally.