Qatar pursuing complete governmental approach to confront climate change

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) Doha: Minister of Municipality and Environment H E Eng. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie, affirmed that the State of Qatar is pursuing a complete governmental approach to confront the factors of climate change in all its aspects, referring to the state's efforts at home and abroad to ensure access to a more sustainable world. This came in the speech of the Minister of Municipality and Environment as a keynote speaker during the virtual sub-session on adaptation and recovery, which was held on the sidelines of the leaders' summit on climate through video conference technology. He said that the State of Qatar is deeply committed to dealing with the issue of climate change, noting that preserving and developing the environment is one of the four main pillars of Qatar National Vision 2030, which forms the basis for the state's plans for responsible development. The Minister highlighted the way in which the State of Qatar has managed, since 2017, to move from importing nearly 90 percent of its food needs to being 100 percent self-sufficient in many agricultural products, He stressed that the country has rapidly risen to the challenge, by spreading advanced farming techniques and adopting a range of supply chain solutions to increase efficiency, reduce waste, and reduce water consumption. The Minister of Municipality and Environment H E Eng. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie also reviewed how the State of Qatar supports the efforts of sustainability and resilience at the international level, noting that the State of Qatar is a founding member of the ‘One Planet' initiative as it works to accelerate the integration of climate change issues into global asset management, in addition to Qatar's commitment to host the first edition of carbon neutral 2022 FIFA World Cup, to build a sustainable legacy for future generations consistent with the viability and benefits of net-zero solutions. He highlighted Qatar's support for development work that aims to promote sustainable agriculture, renewable energy and food security in many countries through Silatech Foundation, where Qatar, through working with partners, was able to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture and increase food security in the 18 countries in which it operates, while contributing to the creation of more than 1.7 million job opportunities for youth in Africa and the Middle East. The Minister commended the State of Qatar's pledge to contribute an amount of $100m to support small island developing states and least developed countries in dealing with climate change, natural hazards and environmental challenges. He concluded his speech by calling for collective global action to address climate change, stressing Qatar's commitment not only to slowing down the effects of climate change, but also to building a stronger foundation for comprehensive and sustainable global growth that will benefit everyone for decades to come.  His Excellency stressed his keenness to work hand in hand to ensure the success of this effort. Inviting the State of Qatar to attend this session, in which the United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Secretary of Homeland Security of the United States Alejandro Mayorkas took part, came as a direct result of its success in improving its food security at an exceptional time, as well as its important efforts at the international level to support countries in working to achieve sustainable food security.MENAFN24042021000063011010ID1101975187