State-owned Qatar Petroleum (QP) has released a new report highlighting the reduction of its gas flaring volume by 14 percent – well above the international average – and in spite of an increase in production.

Qatar has come under recent criticism for its high carbon emissions – the highest per person in the world – particularly after November’s announcement that it would be the next host of the United Nations Climate Summit. 

Officials are using QP’s new Sustainable Development Industry (SDI) Report in part to defend against that criticism. It also points out its natural gas production lowers world emissions.

The Peninsula newspaper quotes Mohammed Al Sada, Qatar’s energy minister, as saying: 

“Qatar is a major producer and exporter of gas. The products reach many countries which have been traditionally depending on coal, a resource that emit a higher rate of CO2. With these countries replacing coal with the gas, Qatar contributes in a big way to help bring down the global emission rate”

The ministry of environment, meanwhile, has been encouraging residents to reduce the amount of garbage they produce daily.

What do you think – is enough being done to curb emissions? Are you doing your part?

Credit: Photo of oil flaring by Adam Cohn