A new open-access book on sustainability documents by academics and researchers in Qatar discusses the sustainability challenges, efforts and accomplishments in the country.
Titled 'Sustainable Qatar', the book was researched and edited by Dr Logan Cochrane, associate professor at the College of Public Policy (CPP) at Qatar Foundation’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), and Reem al-Hababi, PhD student in the Gulf Studies Programme at Qatar University, and an alumna of the Master of Public Policy programme at CPP.
As each country is faced with its unique set of challenges in its journey towards sustainability, Qatar is no different when it comes to its efforts and aspirations towards achieving its environmental, social and economic sustainability.
Thirty-nine authors from across Qatar have contributed to the book, consisting of 19 chapters that tackle sustainability issues from a variety of lenses, and expert perspectives ranging from education, carbon neutrality, water security, innovation and the broader climate change crisis.
The book came about as a result of a shared interest in sustainability and a collaborative research opportunity between al-Hababi and Dr Cochrane, which they ultimately proposed to Springer Science+Business Media, a German multinational book publishing company, in 2021.
“While there is a lot of research on sustainability available, we wanted to put all these rich viewpoints from diverse disciplines together in one place. That’s how we decided to move forward with the book,” Dr Cochrane said.
The authors of the book include academics and researchers from QF member Earthna and QF partner Texas A&M University at Qatar, in addition to HBKU as well as the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, Qatar University, and the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.
While editing and publishing a book with such a large number of authors is always challenging, Dr Cochrane believes each of the contributions to the book was instrumental in the understanding of Qatar’s sustainability landscape.
“Through this book, our aim is to not only highlight the importance of sustainability for Qatar and the region, but to additionally document the efforts made by both governmental and non-governmental actors and academics in this field, and to help us learn from the challenges they have experienced and overcome so far,” al-Hababi said.
“Some of the key takeaways from the book include the importance of analysing the context when complex topics such as environment and climate-related issues are looked at; the uniqueness of Qatar’s case in terms of geography, ecology, demography and economy; the challenges that result from the realities of these aspects; and the importance of an integrated, holistic approach to addressing sustainability while ensuring participation from all parts of society,” she added.
Moving forward, the authors hope this book will act as a guide for future discussions and policies contributing to sustainability efforts in the region. An open-access Arabic version of the book is also under way and will be published by HBKU in the near future.
Dr Logan Cochrane
