Environmental Change Means to the State, as an Advocate

Figure 01, Qatar West View (credit: Flickr)

Insight

Qatar is among the countries located in the Middle East Region, which accordingly has extreme temperature places on Earth compared to the Philippines. Also, the state is highly vulnerable to the impact of environmental change — however, the IPCC Report models with a projected average temperature will increase by 1-2˚C by 2030-2050. Furthermore, people for 21 countries who participated in the summit have realized with an immediate need for reshaping energy, agriculture, water, and environmental policy for this purpose on how to adapt the climate conditions (Figure 01).

Temperature Incremental in the Region

Based on the facts provided by the Climate Engine, the temperatures throughout the Middle East region from 1979 to the present was ranged from 25˚C in the winter to 35˚C in the summer from 1900-96 increased by 0.7˚C for the whole area. Until then, the temperature is getting hotter and hotter even in the most conservative part is due to climate change for a more extended period whereas some parts of the region unlivable and the agricultural growth rate has been reduced instantly. The heat island effect increases tremendously in the urban areas every year with the temperature incremental in giving intense pressure on crops, increasing migration and the risk of conflict with the water-scarce. Thus, the occurrence of extreme weather events resulting in droughts in most of the parts of the region, however, the immediate and potential sectoral impacts of climate change on the environment, energy, agriculture, water, and social well-being.

Environmental Innovation and Communication

With the semi-arid lands environment in the region, the impacts of vegetation projects may be more significant in composition and distribution with more integrated agro-ecosystems that could improve land conditions and counteract pressures arising from climate change due to the technology invention.

Observation: We all know the societies from around the globe not only in Qatar, whereas the author has stayed for many years, but historically, also manifests of the environmental erosion that has been challenged by many environmental issues within the jurisdiction. And from the jurisdiction to the courtyard is because of the environmental possibilism theoretical approach and development. In the advancement of technology, ecological problems occurred are due to the people's activities in today’s generation and the pollution within the urbanized and industrialized society, and the challenge of biodiversity loss because of the greediness of humankind for their self-interests. These are one of the causes of climate change with ocean acidification, ozone layer depletion and other implications for us.

Innovation: But with the impact of the environmental innovation through communication, it does help in formulating engineering theories that have been applied on several occasions with the trial and researches evolves when the chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) refrigerants from the HVAC and Refrigeration industries are the leading cause of depleting the ozone layer. The engineers from all industrialized concerned have come up with a solution for a new and friendly refrigerant with less damaging replacements, which have been used in the competitive landscape as a contribution to solving the environmental problem somehow.

Communication: The effect of environmental innovation was when carbon dioxide emissions have contributed to climate change, the scientists and engineers had formulated for the new or the alternative technologies that improve efficiency. Which in return, they do not rely on fossil fuel that will be needed in some development but the creation of Renewable Energy in the market. Through this innovation will sustain a sustainable environment within the electrical grid for the consumer’s energy requirements.

Energy Conservation

Qatar and other countries in the Middle East have the highest potentials of renewable energy using wind and solar transformation enabling them to decrease the vulnerability using their existing oil and gas exploration as a means of energy systems. However, with the use of wind and solar energy might increase electricity production in helping the economic status. Consequently, it is expected to have an incremental increase in the coming years because of demographic and economic development with the increasing need for space cooling in the additional temperatures in the environment.

Impact on the Agriculture

In the semi-arid lands environment in the region, like Qatar, land degradation problems occurrence and limited potable water supplies constrain in the present agricultural productivity which threatens the countries food security. However, because of technological innovation, treated sewage effluent (TSE) does help in agriculture and industrial productions. But due to unusual heat extremes happening on Earth affect the local food production and as a consequence, deteriorate the common livelihoods on both rural and urban areas because of environmental change impacting .on food and fiber production, however, some crops increases. Moreover, the implementation of tactical flexible risk-management strategies do help with the use of a wider variety of domestic animals, game ranching, and multiple production systems that provide greater food security in the region.

Impacts: It is the effects of changes in the climate on the natural environment and human society, such as changes in temperatures and rainfall patterns, and increases in sea levels. However, impacts can be “potential” and “residual”; where the Potential Impact will occur only at the given projected change in a climate without considering adaptation while the Residual Impact will only occur after the adaptation or even if the adaptation is undertaken.

Vulnerability, It is the susceptibility of human society and the natural systems to the impacts of climate change. Two aspects of vulnerability: the state of the regional community and individual sectors and the resilience to respond to that state. In other words, the extent of damage that occurs is affected by the natural and societal factors, and by their resilience including climate variability and extremes that had been identified. Thus, to the same extent of climate change, a region that has low vulnerability will be able to get by with less damage.

Resilience: It is the capacity of society and natural systems to prevent or minimize the impacts of climate change. The resilience of society consists of “soft” factors such as legislation and regulations, evacuation plans, damage compensation and restoration frameworks, and public awareness. The resilience of natural systems is the ability to absorb the impacts and recover their original condition; where the role of humans is being measured to support the ability of nature to heal.

Risk: It is the extent of damage that could happen to society and the natural systems as a result of climate change. The amount of risk is being assessed as a combination of the damage and its likelihood of occurring. The amount of damage is evaluated by considering climate change impacts, resilience, and vulnerability.

Adaptation: It is the introduction of programs, policies, measures, or actions of governments, corporations, individuals, or other entities, to prevent or minimize, or to beneficially utilize the impacts of climate change. The adaptation strategies and measures result in societies that are more resilient and less vulnerable. Also, it is opposed to climate change mitigation, which addresses the need to prepare and fortify itself against the impact of environmental change. However, in contrast to climate change mitigation, which usually focuses on actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adaptation explores ways to physically adapt to climate change, such as fortifying against the rising of sea levels or putting in place systems that manage increasingly large amounts of rainfall. Moreover, an adaptation also addresses the issue of resilience that includes designing solutions to improve emergency services in cases when climate-related disasters hit. Perhaps, unsurprisingly tension exists between policies, which are adaptation and mitigation.

Resolution: The compromised work that has to reduce carbon emissions in places where focus on working toward the future in which the global temperature remains at a reasonable level ensuring future generations can still thrive on Mother Earth. In contrast, with the adaptation work has always had a much more local focus; however, instead of working in mitigating climate change, adaptation addresses the effects of climate change by working in keeping the local community safe, attractive, and competitive for the residents and the businesses which will give potential changes to the climate. Some adaptation is necessary through scientific evidence that has been demonstrated the impact of climate change which has already in the community and will be more severe in the coming years because of the evolution happening from now.

Challenge on Water Preservation

We all know that in the Middle East region, water stresses become a vital problem. However, desalination like in Qatar progresses water security in supplementing their needs by providing bulk storages and distributed throughout the country, likewise in some parts of the region for the same.

Risks: With the combination of population growth and urbanization in the region somewhat in Qatar, this will put increased pressure on scarce natural water resources. Further, the rainfall was projected to decline by 20 to 40% in a 2°C hotter, and up to 60% in a 4°C world.

Water shortages are many countries' crisis problems predominantly in the arid region, but unlikely might reduce and climate change exacerbation. In an area like Qatar has the lowest freshwater endowment in the world, where millions of people will experience water stress in the coming years. Because of the rapid development in the region which has to threaten those continuously of some water supplies with salinization, pollution and population growth are increasing water demand.

Adaptation: The strategies have been laid whereas the government has developed with more efficient processes in securing water supply through water treatment, and delivery systems throughout urban areas. Hence, the practice of water conservation and reusing water becomes mandatory to overcome shortages somehow.  Thus, without technological evolution and risk management might replenish it. The region’s capacity has to provide water to its people and economies which will be harshly challenging, but with the strategies have changed in the agricultural cropping practices and because of sewage treatment process has improved the irrigation practices that reduce water usage.

Environmental Social Well-being

In spite of environmental change, human health varies depending on the nationality where everybody treasures on it. Like other nationalities working in this region are highly tempered and calm with the unpredictable climate happening year-round. However, the impacts of climate change can’t be measured and are likely detrimental to the population health because of heat stress, vector-borne incremental and waterborne diseases. Similarly with the water shortage might lead to human health indirectly associated with nutritional and hygiene issues.

In 15-years onward in Qatar, witnessing and experiencing extreme hot-humidity weather, frequent sandstorm, unpredictable rains and floods, and earthquakes sometimes are conventional and not new to me. This is life since the author came and up to the present which is a fantastic experience.

Where some areas have drought-parched grounds that are unable to absorb heavy rains resulting in flashing floods everywhere. Electricity disruptions are a potential side effect that can force and suspend scheduled activities. With the extreme cases happening where severe weather can damage infrastructures and the building-built environment for some reasons outcomes.

However, research suggests that in all instances of such effects are likely either to mitigate or make some adaptation wherever environmental change is happening.

Conclusions

Everybody knows that environmental change is one of the severe threat happening around the globe that means to Qatar and other leaders from other countries which have a similar view and they do not hesitate in taking action. As an expatriate and environmental advocate, with all the learning process learned at the University of the Philippines, through mitigation and adaptation strategies are the only way of incorporating in the state policymaking will give an emphasis that will benefit the people and the mother earth. However, these are being addressed and implemented by the GCC countries which likely to provide some significant “win-win” opportunities for the conservation of every state resource, as well as an offset of the impacts of environmental change.

Additionally, with this kind of phenomenon, an efficient and effective environmental management plan and framework are essential in making sure with a productive and measurable interaction amongst various stakeholders involve across vital governmental sectors that include the national, regional and international linkages. Also, with the proactive involvement of the public and the private sectors, researchers and academia in mitigating environmental change issues mean to every state, like Qatar, and as an environmental advocate is looking for a solution.

Figure 02, Environmental Change in Qatar Development Process (credit: Qatar Living)

Write-Up References can be Read from this Links;

Gomeseria, RV; (December 2018); “Environmental Advocacy & Conservation Personal Journal & Reflections;” Durreesamin Journal (ISSN: 2204-9827) December Vol 4 Issue 3; the Year 2018

Gomeseria, RV; (2019, January); "Environmental Change Means to the State, as an Advocate;” Retrieved from; https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330601301_Environmental_Change_Means_to_the_State_as_an_Advocate

https://www.academia.edu/38199832/_Environmental_Change_Means_to_the_State_as_an_Advocate._