Reducing air pollution and its causes is one of the top priorities of the strategic plans of the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, HE the Minister of Municipality and Environment Abdulla bin Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Subaie, has said.

In his speech on the occasion of the World Environment Day, which falls on June 5 each year, the minister said the ministry spares no effort to reduce air pollution and its causes as it is one of the pillars of Qatar National Vision 2030, under the wise leadership.

In this context, the minister said that co-operation between government and private sector has contributed to the reduction of air pollution and its sources in accordance with environmental standards, through best practices that are environmentally friendly. These are: converting to clean energy and green economy and reducing energy consumption to achieve environmental sustainability and preserve biodiversity in Qatar.

The minister said that this annual event is meant to remind the world of the most important global environmental risks that threaten the existence of all on earth. It also emphasises the need to live in a healthy manner and to work together, hand in hand, at the international, regional and national levels to protect, preserve and develop the environment.

The minister added that the participation of Qatar in the celebration of the World Environment Day aims to emphasise the importance of the environment for all, in the spirit of joint action to preserve the planet and reduce air pollution of all kinds and their sources.

He pointed out that the adoption of "Fight air pollution" as a slogan for the celebration of this year's World Environment Day, has clear indications on the need to alert everyone that the air we breathe has become a challenge to live a healthy life, due to high rates of pollution caused by the phenomenon of climate change due to misconduct of individuals, groups and countries.

The minister called upon all individuals and sectors to complete what has been initiated through joint action and concerted efforts to change practices into positive actions in reducing air pollution, stressing the importance of collective efforts, and their impact on maintaining a sustainable environment to ensure a decent and healthy living for us and for next generations.

For his part, Assistant Undersecretary for Environment Affairs at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment Engineer Ahmed Mohamed al-Sada, said that Qatar's celebration of World Environment Day underscores the importance of highlighting the most important environmental challenges worldwide, which have a serious impact on life on Earth.

He added that this year's slogan marks the current challenge of air pollution and its consequences for global warming, which in turn causes climate change and its immediate challenges to health and the environment and its sustainability.

He pointed out that the Ministry of Municipality and Environment is working seriously through its strategic plans, programmes and projects of the national development strategy to reduce air pollution for the preservation and sustainability of the environment, which are consistent with Qatar National Vision 2030 and the directives of Qatar's leadership.

Al-Sada pointed out that the ministry is also working on reviewing and evaluating the environmental status of development projects of all kinds to ensure that they follow best environmental practices, and the ministry has also established a network of air quality monitoring stations in co-operation with the authorities concerned, noting that these stations assess air quality in Qatar using the best technology.

The ministry also monitors the effects of air pollution causing climate change and works to reduce it with the participation of authorities concerned in accordance with the international conventions on climate change ratified by the State of Qatar, the latest of which was Paris Agreement.

The Ministry of Municipality and Environment will organise events on the occasion with the aim of developing environmental awareness among the various segments of the society, he added.

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