Less than two months before Qatar hosts an international UN summit relating to green concerns, the majority of those surveyed locally said the government is not doing enough to protect its own environment.

Stricter penalties should be in place for those who dump waste in open areas and violate other environmental laws, some 97 percent of people surveyed by Al Sharq said.

And 62 percent surveyed said the Ministry of Environment is fulfilling its mandate, Al Sharq reports. 

The UN’s decision to host a climate change summit in Qatar in November has gotten a lot of flak due to the country’s less-than-stellar environmental record.

Home of the world’s largest ecological footprint and the highest consumers of water per capita on the planet, Qatar has been working to improve that record by investing in energy-efficient technologies.

But changing the consumption behaviors of its residents remains a challenge.

Al Sharq reports, as translated by the Peninsula:

Sultan Mohammad has criticised the ministry’s weak performance citing among others their capability to strictly enforce against throwing waste in the coastal areas, pollution from the smoke emitted from the industrial plants and even used oil left behind in the car maintenance services area.

He said nothing has been also done with proper waste disposal citing some big containers of sewage being left behind in open areas.

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo by Richard Messenger