Comments on: How Genuine Is the Arab World About the Environment? https://www.greenprophet.com/2011/03/arab-world-environment-genuine/ Sustainable news for the Middle East Mon, 14 Mar 2011 18:28:06 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: samir jaafar https://www.greenprophet.com/2011/03/arab-world-environment-genuine/#comment-14388 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 18:28:06 +0000 http://www.greenprophet.com/?p=42794#comment-14388 The fact that Arab countries have fallen behind in almost every Human Development Indicator is a fact and sad reality. Please download the UN Human development report. No spending on anything meaningful: IP, Publications, R&D spending etc.. Wake up people and smell the capuchino

]]> By: Craig https://www.greenprophet.com/2011/03/arab-world-environment-genuine/#comment-13921 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 09:59:14 +0000 http://www.greenprophet.com/?p=42794#comment-13921 As you know the Arab world is quite large and to say that 0.2% of GDP is spent on research is not telling the full story. Qatar is spending 2.8% of its considerable GDP on research and has done this for a large number of years. Qatar Foundation’s flagship project education city is a prime example of this expenditure. Education City is home to a number of top universities and the Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) and conducts research in a diverse range of areas including energy, medical, genomics, environmental sciences and IT. The Qatar National Research Fund since 2006 has awarded grants to over 465 different research projects both in Qatar and abroad. In 2010 alone it awarded research grants totaling US$113.8Mn to 126 proposals.

For solar projects in Qatar there is the new Qatar National Convention Centre which is a LEED Gold rated building and has 15% of its power provided by solar panels on the roof, you have the new student housing project at Qatar Foundation the is LEED platinum rated and draws power from the sun and uses advanced environmental technologies. The World Cup 2022 Bid will be using solar technologies to power its air-conditioned stadiums, the Qatar National Food Securities Program is undertaking research on solar desalination, there is a solar testing facility under construction at QSTP and a number of international initiatives like the partnership with QSTP and the Franhoffer Institute to use solar technology in the natural gas distillation process and it is currently building a polysilicon production facility which will no doubt further develop solar research in the country and develop a solar industry in Qatar.

The solar and environmental technology plans in the Gulf region were ambitious and like many other countries were scaled back in light of the world financial crisis, but they have not gone away.

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