In a bid to impose a further cut in its greenhouse emission rate, Qatar is exploring the possibilities of setting up more Clean Development Mechanisms (CDMs). As part of it, the Ministry of Environment (MoE) launched a networking with nearly ten expert agencies in the UK yesterday. The UK trade delegation was led by the UK Climate Change Project Office (CCPO). Addressing the event, jointly hosted by the British embassy and the MoE , an expert with the Ministry said Qatar is committed to meet its target in cutting the emission rate. Abdulhadi Nasser Al Marri of the Technical affairs Department, MOE said Qatar is the one and only country in the GCC region to successfully register a project under the United Nations’ Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), a scheme under the Kyoto Protocol that allows rich countries to meet emissions targets by funding a clean energy projects in developing nations. The project, first of its kind in the region, captures and processes associated gas from the Al Shaheen oil field, located 90km off the coast of Qatar, which was previously flared and utilises it for domestic use. Overall, the project reduces flaring by approximately 80 percent, thereby contributing substantially to the reductin of greenhouse gas emission in Qatar. The registration of the Al Shaheen CDM project ranks Qatar eighth worldwide in terms of the average annual greenhouse gas emission reductions expected from CDM project activities. “We are planning to launch more CDMs. Today’s networking is a precursor to it”, Al Marri later told The Peninsula. The UK ambassador John Hawkins said: “The UK government believes climate change is the greatest environmental challenge facing the world today and that’s why we’ve established a comprehensive programme to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. We don’t buy carbon credits as Japan and some other European Governments do as we’ll meet our climate change Kyoto targets through other measures. However, we are keen as a government to promote business involvement in the carbon market.”. There are arguments that the current economic crisis means we should put low carbon goals on a back burner, but we can’t rely on this downturn to reduce emissions in the long term. The recent global economic events highlight the need for credible and decisive action at international level in addressing major global risks, Hawkins said. “It is essential now that we align our economic security, energy security and climate goals to rebuild resilient economies for the long term and deliver jobs and growth in the immediate term. The UK believes low carbon economies will be a source of employment and innovation in the future”. The experts from over ten UK companies shared their experience at the event and discussed the wider carbon market business opportunities. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=March2009&file=Local_News200903096392.xml

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