February 1, 2014

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       Qatar, a Middle Eastern country bordered by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, has experienced a population boom in the last few decades because of the gushing reserves of oil. However, since Qatar is essentially desert, the skyrocketing population has put strain on available water resources. Here is a video on Qatar, a country with no water: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv3E6ESTp30 
–Read my thoughts on the video below! 

       I thought this talk was interesting because different countries and their economic/environmental situations intrigue me greatly. The rapid rate of change that has occurred in about 70 years is amazing. In 1940, Qatar was just another nomadic region with people wondering the deserts for food, water, and other resources. Now, it is thriving on wealth generated from oil and the cheap labor of Philippine and Indian immigrants. This video reminded me of an article that was recently in National Geographic (January 2014). Qatar’s population is 89% noncitizens and only 11% native Qatari; most of its imported workers come from Iran, Pakistan, Nepal, and India. Therefore, all the water that is being used up (430 liters per person per year) is mostly consumed by the immigrants. However, I find it hard to believe that these poor workers are “over-consuming,” as the speaker was insinuating. 

       Also, the 15% economic growth is due to the new industries created by industrialization and modernization. All the public works projects, new malls, and skyscrapers are contributing to this growth, and more water is being used as a result. I thought it was queer that the water being used has to be treated in desalinization plants. I previously thought that this method of purification was extremely expensive and that the people of Qatar could not afford it. However, because of the oil (most of which gets exported for profit), the native Qatar elite and the government is flourishing. But how long is it until this utopian bubble of modernization bursts? Treated water can only last for so long, and if the environment keeps being degraded at the current rate, the land will be parched and useless. 
       File:Desert Qatar.JPG
Deserts of Qatar
       Since the diets of the Qatari are changing (increasing wealth equals more meat consumption), more land is needed to cultivate livestock. The Qatari’s temporary solution has been to import 90% of its food, but what happens if international relations go sour and Qatar is forced to cultivate its own arid land? Overall, I like Qatar’s plan for a more sustainable future, and I think this is necessary because a country needs to be relatively self sufficient and not dependent on other countries for aid.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Qatar_rel95.jpg