Country Comments

Once a sleepy country in the Middle East, Qatar in the 1990s developed the largest gas field in the world transforming the country and the wealth of its citizens making them one of the richest in the world. With those energy reserves and the wealth it created came inevitable increased consumption and economic activity making Qataris some of the biggest consumers of resources and generators of waste of any country.

The population has quadrupled in the last two decades. By measurements of available renewable resources and Qatari’s consumption levels, the country has approximately 15 times more people than is currently sustainable. Air, water, and land pollution are significant environmental issues in Qatar. In addition to smog and acid rain, the nation has been affected by the air pollution generated during the Persian Gulf War. Pollution from the oil industry poses a threat to the nation's water. The nation's soils have been damaged by pesticides and fertilizers, and its agricultural land is in danger of desertification. Conservation of oil supplies, preservation of the natural wildlife heritage, and increasing the water supply through desalination are high on Qatar's environmental priority list. (1)

(1) https://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Qatar-ENVIRONMENT.html#ixzz73FjW1qp0