DOHA: Under the patronage of Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change on Sunday launched its 2024-2030 strategy, which was prepared under the slogan 'Together towards a sustainable environment for a better future'.
The new strategy was luched in the presence of a number of Their Excellencies Sheikhs, Ministers and officials in entities related to environmental work.
In his speech on this occasion, Minister of Environment and Climate Change HE Dr Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie , said that the launch of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy (2024-2030) represents a pivotal step towards the commitment to achieving Qatar National Vision 2030, especially since the world today faces unprecedented environmental challenges, which makes the Ministry's role essential in leading the sustainability sector within the third national development strategy.
He added that within the framework of a comprehensive and sustainable approach to addressing contemporary environmental issues, and benefiting from previous lessons, the state has set a set of targets that reflect its vision for a sustainable environmental future, primarily enhancing sustainability practices and cut 25 percent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, restoring 30 percent of the area of environmentally affected natural resources, protecting 30 percent of island and coastal areas, and preserving 17 endemic and endangered species.
He explained that achieving these goals is part of the ministry's comprehensive efforts to preserve biodiversity, so more than 30 initiatives and more than 100 projects have been developed to achieve the desired goals and sustain them in the long term, expressing in this context his thanks and appreciation to the partners for their contributions and cooperation during the previous stages, and his aspiration for this cooperation to continue in the next stage, reflecting the joint commitment to achieving national goals.
He also pointed out that the Ministry's strategic vision aims to achieve a sustainable and balanced environment with development, and capable of adapting to climate change, by focusing on protecting the environment and preserving natural resources through joint institutional and community cooperation, supporting an effective regulatory framework, and enhancing public environmental awareness relying on four main axes.
The first axis, he explaind, is "Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change", which is the core of the Ministry's work through protecting the environment and natural reserves; comprehensive management of hazardous radioactive and chemical materials; and combating climate change, while promoting environmental sustainability practices that preserve natural resources for future generations.
The second axis, "Innovation and Digital Transformation", aims to enhance research and development, and find innovative solutions that increase the efficiency of the Ministry's activities that face environmental challenges, with a focus on digital transformation to support the sustainability of environmental activities, he said.
The third axis, "Governance," focuses on strengthening environmental legislation and policies, and building modern legal frameworks that ensure commitment to implementing standards while accurately and effectively following up on project implementation and ensuring accountability and responsibility for the environment, said the Minister.
The fourth axis, "Sustainable Institutional Development," seeks to enhance institutional capabilities, community cooperation, and raise environmental awareness to ensure effective participation in achieving national goals, he added.At the end of his speech, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change said that launching this strategy is the beginning of a new journey towards achieving ambitious goals, protecting the environment and promoting sustainability, all of which are responsibilities that fall on everyone's shoulders, and can only be achieved through joint work and strong commitment.
The vision of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change's strategy (2024-2030) is to provide a sustainable environment that is balanced with development, capable of adapting to climate change, and working to deliver a message of protecting the environment and preserving its natural resources through joint institutional and community cooperation and with the support of an effective regulatory framework, and enhancing public environmental awareness.
The Ministry's strategy carries a set of values, including: responsibility, commitment, efficiency, flexibility, proactivity, cooperation, transparency, innovation, and sustainability, in order to achieve its main results, which are: protecting the environment and biodiversity by protecting, monitoring, and enhancing environmental elements, ensuring the optimal and sustainable use of environmental resources, preserving biodiversity, and ensuring the comprehensive management of hazardous radioactive and chemical materials.
The strategy seeks to ensure effective management of climate change through mitigation and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, adaptation, partnership and cooperation, spreading public awareness, enhancing resilience and fortification, as well as promoting environmental sustainability practices through support and supervision of environmental sustainability measures, including the circular economy, adopting green development methods and energy conservation.
The strategy also aims to protect, monitor and enhance environmental elements, ensure optimal use of natural resources, preserve and protect biodiversity and terrestrial and marine ecosystems, integrated management of chemicals and hazardous waste, radiation protection and pollution reduction.
It also aims to study climate change, support and implement innovative solutions, take effective measures to mitigate the impact of climate change, develop measures to adapt to future climate change, and ensure their effective implementation with relevant authorities, in addition to promoting the circular economy, reusing resources and waste, promoting the principle of environmental sustainability and investing in the components of green development, and finally encouraging energy conservation, the use of renewable energy and the application of the principle of sustainability in infrastructure and land use.