“If the right sort of transition is not done, the whole survival of this region will be jeopardised,” he cautions. “This is what the IPCC…is telling us, that the whole region will be inhabitable in the coming decade.”

It’s a stark warning and one that Qatar has been keen to act on. As one of the world’s big energy producers, it has already outlined ambitious goals to curb greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors. Neeshad is positive policies like this will make a difference, but he also says people have to come together.

Read the complete blog post at Euro news here –

Euro News – Arab Climate activist

The latest Q Life Magazine showcases the impact Qatar is making beyond its borders, sharing inspiring stories of people working to create change on an international scale.

Over the years, Qatar has become increasingly influential in the global sphere. In 2019, Qatar hosted the World Athletics Championships, the Arabian Gulf Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019, positioning itself as a sporting hub – regionally and globally. Qatar has also significantly increased its impact in the philanthropic and diplomatic realms, boosting its global commitments to support those in need. It is the determination and dedication of Qataris abroad that have made these aspirations become a reality.

Q Life Magazine issue 7 features an interview with Her Excellency Sheikha Alya bint Ahmed Al Thani, the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the UN and celebrates Olympic athlete Mutaz Barshim who won gold at the recent World Athletics Championships in Doha.

The magazine highlights the potential of those in Qatar, and how small changes can inspire a movement globally. Charities, such as ‘Box of Happiness’, are impressive reminders of our commitment at home and abroad.

Read the complete interview with Q Life by clicking here

Q Life Magazine can be read online on QLife.com – the GCO’s website dedicated to sharing the successes of innovators, entrepreneurs, and trailblazers in Qatar with the world. There, you will also find video interviews with many of the contributors, bringing their ambitions to life and sharing what can’t be captured in words alone.

We invite you to explore the inspiring stories of eco-activist Neeshad Shafi, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications for Qatar Airways Salam Shawa, adventurer and record-breaker Fahad Badar and many others on Q Life’s website.

In a July 2010 heat wave, the temperature hit an all-time high of 50.4 degrees Celsius.

“Qatar is one of the fastest warming areas of the world, at least outside of the Arctic,” said Zeke Hausfather, a climate data scientist at Berkeley Earth, a nonprofit temperature analysis group. “Changes there can help give us a sense of what the rest of the world can expect if we do not take action to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.”

While climate change inflicts suffering in the world’s poorest places from Somalia to Syria, from Guatemala to Bangladesh, in rich places such as the United States, Europe and Qatar global warming poses an engineering problem, not an existential one. And it can be addressed, at least temporarily, with gobs of money and a little technology.

To survive the summer heat, Qatar not only air-conditions its soccer stadiums, but also the outdoors — in markets, along sidewalks, even at outdoor malls so people can window shop with a cool breeze. “If you turn off air conditioners, it will be unbearable. You cannot function effectively,” says Yousef al-Horr, founder of the Gulf Organization for Research and Development.

But the election of Donald Trump as the future president of the US cast a long shadow over progress made at the conference and a huge question mark hung over whether he would pull the US out of the Paris Agreement. However, the world leaders at COP22 and across the globe doubled up on their commitments to address climate change and major fossil fuel exporter countries in the Middle East including Saudi Arabia and UAE have been among those vocal groups of countries insisting that the US election outcome will not affect their plans to curb greenhouse gases under the Paris deal.

Global impact

Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election reverberated around the world. The political uncertainty surrounding a Trump administration added confusion to a task that was already extraordinarily difficult. Global warming is a near-perfect example of the tragedy of the commons, as it is a problem that no individual action, no single country can resolve on its own.

On the one hand, this suggests the great danger of a Trump presidency’s reversal of climate change policies could bring about a global knock-on effect, pushing the world toward harsh nationalism and reduced international environmental cooperation. On the other hand, there is a veiled hope that the negative impacts of US climate policy under Trump will be limited by the current momentum in technological advancement and other factors. But these steps have been complicated because the Paris deal requires billions of dollars in public and private climate finance to be channelled from rich to poor countries and President-elect Trump vowed during the election campaign to end US funds to UN climate programmes.

Ahead of the next conference under the presidency of Fiji, which will be hosting COP23 in Bonn, Germany, the one issue that will be closely monitored by the participating nations will be the new President Trump’s pledge to scrap President Obama’s Clean Power Plan and the COP21 agreement. That said, if Trump was not to honour commitments under the Paris Agreement, it is likely that this will negatively impact his ability to get the cooperation of world leaders on other issues.

Gulf countries vowed to adhere to the Paris Agreement

In the wake of the Trump victory, Saudi Arabia, by far the world’s largest oil exporter, has publicly vowed to adhere to its Paris Agreement pledges. Saudi Arabia says it will press ahead with pledges it made under the Paris climate change accord, even if president-elect Donald Trump pulls the US out of the global deal after he is sworn in. It further added it had “no intention of watering down” its commitments to the deal. Other key Gulf countries like UAE, the first Gulf nation to ratify the Paris Agreement, echoed similar words of support to adhere to and go ahead with economic diversification and implementing the  accord.

This is a promising indication of how isolated the US may be if it abandons the climate agreement that virtually every country in the world struck last December in Paris, as the world’s largest oil exporter said that the commitment of other economies such as China and France underlined the accord’s strength.

After COP22

As the curtain fell in Marrakech, the delegates leaving COP22 gave a resounding message to the world that the COP21 Climate Agreement is here to stay and would be driven forward regardless of what America decides. We can only hope that, in the event that America does withdraw its support, the Agreement really is bigger than any one country as has been claimed. However, the US, being the most powerful economy in the world and the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases, must respect the commitments that were made. It’s not simply its duty, it’s in the common interest of humanity.

We need to recognise that the climate issue is a global issue. At the end of the day, this process is resilient enough to move forward with global cooperation and commitment. We haven’t won the battle yet, we need to get more of a movement going. We need to get more people to engage.

Knowledge of environmental issues and sustainability is increasingly important as industrialisation and climate change continue to wreak havoc in our ecosystems and psyche. As temperatures rise and icecaps shrink and storms lash our coastal areas into oblivion, being smart about carbon footprints, waste streams and consumer choices become increasingly important for all of us.

That’s where the Earth Talks come in.

The Earth Talks Series is hosted by the Arab Youth Climate Movement (AYCM) Qatar. The series serves as a forum through which experts from non-government organisations, academia, government and the private sector share their experiences, wealth of insight and information about the pressing issues of the 21st century through the different voices speaking on behalf of the Earth. Through the Earth Talk Series, AYCM Qatar aspires to bring many of the world’s greatest thinkers, leaders and activists to Qatar. Its mission is to help everyday people like you and me understand complex environmental issues, promote sustainability and live greener lives. AYCM responds to the urgency and the dire need of environmental education in Qatar. The significance of environmental education (or eco literacy) is emphasised in the National Development Strategy 2011-2016 and 2017-2022. Creating an ecologically conscious society is a precursor to achieving a sustainable society, which was the ultimate vision of Qatar National Vision (QNV 2030).

The forums were organised at the Qatar National Library and Qatar Green Building Council and were open to the public for free. So far two distinguished guests have been part of AYCM Qatar.

Dr Joe Ravetz, Co-Director of the Centre for Urban Resilience & Energy at the University of Manchester, talked about urbanisation and the need to focus on building “wise communities”. Ravetz has pioneered the art of strategic thinking for sustainable cities and regions, which brings together environment-climate policy, urban planning and design, new economics and governance, innovation and future studies, systems thinking and complexity science. An architect, planner and development manager, he is also a creative graphic facilitator and foresight trainer.  His main publications include ‘City-Region 2020: integrated planning for a sustainable environment’, ‘Environment and City’, and the forthcoming ‘Urban 3.0’ (Earthscan/ Routledge).  He is on the editorial boards of Foresight Journal, International Journal of Sustainable Development, and Sustainable Mediterranean Construction; coordinator of the Greater Manchester Policy Exchange;  Principal at SAMI Consulting; policy advisor currently to Naples (Italy), and Vellore (India);  and delivers training, seminars, consultancy, keynotes and reviews in many countries.

In late March, AYCM Qatar hosted Dr Vandana Shiva, who discussed the ecological crisis and the future of global food security; the lecture was held in Qatar National Library.

Dr Shiva is a philosopher, environmental activist, author and eco-feminist. She is an author of more than 20 books including Biopiracy: the Plunder of Nature and Knowledge and Water Wars; Privatization, Pollution, and Profit.

She is one of the leaders and board members of the International Forum on Globalization (along with Jerry Mander, Edward Goldsmith, Ralph Nader and Jeremy Rifkin), and a figure of the global solidarity movement known as the alter-globalisation movement. She has argued for the wisdom of many traditional practices, and founded Navdanya (nine seeds), a movement promoting diversity and the use of native seeds.

Vandana set up the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology in her mother’s cowshed in 1997. Its studies have validated the ecological value of traditional farming and been instrumental in fighting destructive development projects in India. She is a member of the scientific committee of the Fundacion IDEAS, and was awarded the Right Livelihood Award in 1993.

AYCM Qatar’s upcoming lectures will include world renowned individuals like Dr Rajendra Pachauri – Nobel Prize Winner, Former Chairman of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Dr David Orr – Distinguished Professor, Oberlin College, Dr Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Professor Emeritus, George Washington University, Christina Figures – Former Executive Secretary of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Annie Leonard – Creator of Story of Stuff and Executive Director of Greenpeace USA and Dr Jane Goodall – British primatologist and anthropologist.

About Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar

The Paris Climate Agreement which was adopted in 2015 by 195 nations, with 147 ratifying including the United States, the world’s second largest greenhouse gas emitter. Withdrawing flies in the face of the spirit of the landmark climate agreement and denies the basic physics of climate change. Trump resisted calls from world leaders, Fortune 500 companies, environmental groups, scientists, civil society, and even voices within his administration urging him to stay in the agreement.

Leaders from around the world maintained a defiant front after President Trump announced the withdrawal of United States from the Paris Agreement. The leaders of France, Germany and Italy said in a joint statement that they regretted the United States’ decision to withdraw from the accord, but affirmed”our strongest commitment” to implement its measures and encouraged”all our partners to speed up their action to combat climate change.”, but they rejected his suggestion that the deal could later be renegotiated. The similar response followed from India, Japan, Canada, and the UK among others.

Paris Accord presents an opportunity for Gulf nations to lead way in climate change as temperatures soar. There is regained momentum build on as the world leaders making stronger commitments after Trumps decision. The agreement will help incorporate climate sustainability integrally into the national development agenda, setting more common ambitious targets but differentiated responsibilities approach combined with technological breakthroughs will open new avenues for action and lowering costs.

The challenge and opportunity in Paris Agreement will help Gulf States to play an important leadership role in the region to unify countries to see the issue as a threat to local and regional stability, economic security and human well-being.

With open and constructive dialogue with private and public sectors, partners and stakeholders will facilitate the building of strong and innovative partnerships to create solutions that benefit the present and future generations. We see more solar plants opening, more energy efficient buildings and hybrid and electric cars. This opens as major benefits for the Gulf States to grow economy and diversify away from oil, human health and well-being will improve and new economic sectors and jobs will be created.

US withdrawal from the Paris agreement is a dangerous, irresponsible, immoral and alien to the US principles of global cooperation. This not only will affect American interests, but also jeopardise the global ‘common interests’. Gulf States and the rest of the Countries in the Paris Accord must take stand with those most vulnerable to climate change, people living on low-lying land, in areas of extreme heat, or in extreme poverty.

The aim of his NGO is to engage regional youth through education, online campaigns and training, which are delivered in collaboration with national and regional partners. Communication is at the heart of Shafi’s vision to overcome what he sees as the biggest obstacles to youth engagement: a sense of detachment from the climate crisis and a feeling of powerlessness to tackle it.

“Do we feel vulnerable to climate change? More often than not, the answer is ‘no,’ and this influences our behavior,” explains Shafi, who has a background in water design engineering and has been named by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as a Global Shaper as well as one of the World’s 100 Most Influential People in Climate Policy for 2019 by Apolitical. “In other cases, people feel overwhelmed by the scope of climate change impacts, which makes individual action seem awfully pointless.”

Hence his emphasis on wide-scale advocacy, education and communication efforts to change people’s perceptions and collective behavior. Shafi knows that transforming how entire generations of people think and act will take time, so he believes in the importance of starting now, in the spirit of the proverb ‘yesterday you said you would begin tomorrow.’

And he is taking action indeed. He participates in various global environmental youth groups and summits related to climate policy and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He has also been active in the UNFCCC climate negotiation process since 2012 and is an indefatigable advocate of youth as partners for climate action at international forums.

GREEN GROWTH APPROACHES

From Shafi’s perspective, deeply-ingrained conflicts and social issues in the Middle East have pushed climate change down the agenda in most Arab countries.

The media, for example, has traditionally covered global warming as a series of international negotiations of little interest to a regional readership, rather than delving into potentially controversial local causes and solutions. As a result, citizens have been putting little pressure on authorities to take the climate crisis seriously.

One of AYCM’s objectives is to emphasize the huge stakes for countries in the Gulf and beyond. “The intertwining challenges of climate change, water stress, food scarcity and urbanization present a particularly thorny problem set; if unresolved, they could tip the region toward a cycle of instability and economic stagnation, upsetting efforts to promote much-needed economic growth and reform,” explains Shafi.

This is why he calls for green-growth approaches and for stronger partnerships between environmental NGOs, governments and the private sector. With political will and foresight, he says, Arab countries can develop innovative policy solutions to the region’s environmental and development needs.

“Sooner rather than later, young Arabs will be compelled to engage in new forms of activism to respond to environmental challenges in the region,” he says.

Despite the challenges, Shafi sees more and more young Arabs taking the climate crisis seriously – a glimpse of hope for a sustainable future that pushes him to tread onward.

In almost every global challenge – be it economic growth or food security or inclusivity –  Qatar proves that it is a unique case study, the results of which cannot be extrapolated from anything we have ever done anywhere in the world. Climate change is no different. Which is why this month we explore the various factors driving intra-national climate debate, or the lack of it, how this can be improved and why we should care.

Most of the experts we spoke to more or less agreed that dialogue related to climate change is low and difficult in the region for a variety of reasons. “It’s not something that worries your average person on the street, or keeps them up at night,” says Dr Mari Luomi, Senior Research Fellow at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy, who works on sustainable energy and climate change issues and is the author of ‘The Gulf Monarchies and Climate Change’. “Here in the GCC, unlike many parts of the world, the society doesn’t feel impact of climate change.” Many other countries are witnessing tangible effects of climate change, she says. Coral bleaching of the great barrier reef in Australia is something that affects the whole country. Frequent flooding affects millions in Bangladesh. Sea water intrusions is a scary reality for many small island nations. The dire air pollution levels in their cities have put mitigation on the forefront for Chinese youth. “Here, people do not depend on the nature or are not directly exposed to it,” says Dr Luomi. “It’s already very hot. The Arabian Gulf is for now relatively insulated from hurricanes or sea level rise. And there is very little agricultural production. This has an impact on people’s awareness.”

But there are other issues closer to home that are capable of instigating debates on climate change. “The recent spate of subsidy reforms that saw fuel prices being hiked around the region has created a bit more awareness when linked to debate on the global energy landscape. The big push we seeing towards sustainable, smart cities is also helping us talk more deeply about these issues,” she says.

Neeshad VS talks about another factor that affects climate change communication within the nation – the difficulty to mobilise. He is the national focal point for several NGOs and is most notably the Co-Founder and National Coordinator of Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar. The Qatar chapter is one of the 17 operating across the region and it’s glaringly obvious to Neeshad that his counterparts in other country can do a lot of things he can’t. “The social environment is not very conducive to campaigns of any kind at an individual or an NGO-level. In Lebanon or Jordan, some of our most active chapters, they could just plan a beach clean-up for the next and send an invite through Facebook. I can’t do that here. I can’t just plant trees by the side of the road. That’s has a huge impact, I think – the lack of on-ground activities. Face-to-face communication here is very low so there are no opportunities for public engagement. Which is why ACYMQ’s strategy is to reach out to the hyper-connected savvy population on social media and drive conversations there,” he says.

Small events that are centered around the environment are rare and subsequently so is the possibility of meeting people one-on-one in casual settings that encourage frank conversation. Government and quasi-government organisations sometimes host events, but neither regularly nor reliably. Neeshad would love to run his own programmes but funding for NGOs here in non-existent. That’s a shame because it’s desperately important to diverse voices to spark a debate on this. Qatar Environment Day went by quietly last month, and no one even knew. After one, one five-minute photo session with the minister planting trees don’t maketh an environmental campaign.

Still he tries to make the best of the avenues open to him. ACYM partners with organisations like Qatar Foundation, Qatar Green Building Council, Qur’anic Botanic Garden and such and helps them increase involvement of the public, especially young people, during the events they host. “Because of the youth perspective we share, we find that a lot of these organisations want to engage with us. And we happy to increase awareness about their causes and the environment in general through our focused social media outreach. It’s our key tool,” he says.

Targetted messaging

Climate Outreach was created specifically to address the challenge of communicating climate change among different types of communities in many countries in Europe, North America and Asia. They specialize in research-based climate communication that uses academic understanding around this issue, supplemented with their own activities that revolve around what is called “deep listening”, working with particular groups to understand their cares, their values, where climate change fits into lives and what images and words are more effective in delivering the message.

The firm began looking into the region when it was approached by a few organizations in the UAE and other GCC countries about communicating climate change in the gulf states. Executive Director Jamie Clarke says that very little work has been done here around bringing these topics into mainstream public discourse. “The idea of planning constructive public engagement around an issue that is based on the use of fossil fuels is a big challenge in terms of impact when the society’s wealth is built on fossil fuels,” he says. “The social background of our lives and cultures can help or hinder the process.”

Which brings us to what seems like a naïve question but one that begs to be asked – why is effective communication of these issues so important, especially this region where civil society doesn’t necessarily have a huge impact on policy or governance. “The situation here is certainly different from where much of the work is terms of public engagement is being done, like in the US and Europe. That’s why we are keen to operate, help and advise Arab states where the context is so different; we’d like to learn from different cultures and provide our understanding to help in that process. Language around climate change has often been dominated by the western perspective which might disengage the value of many other people around the world,” says Clarke.

He goes on to add that every country around the world has a unique relationship between population and policy. “But public engagement is key to the success of any policy. Especially if lifestyle changes need to be made, then having the population understand and be engaged with the process is going to be way more effective, no matter what type of government we have got in place. Which is why it’s important for people to relate to these issues from their perspective; it’s not just about science or big economic numbers, but things that are important to them. We have to work on taking climate change from scientific reality to social reality,” he says.

AYCMQ’s solution to this conundrum is double down on its engagement with youth, especially the nationals, who have direct access to government jobs and might very well be shaping policy tomorrow. “Already the UAE is doing this; working closely with young innovators, entrepreneurs and environmental activists in this space and collaborating with young people from other countries in creating a social platform for them in engage in,” says Neeshad.

Dr Luomi doesn’t dispute that, despite the large transient population, educating the general public and students is as important as ever. “But these are long-term goals. We need action now,” she says. Which is why she is a proponent of targeting people in positions of power with this messaging. “The question is how to increase awareness among high-level government officials and CEOs of companies who are invariably Gulf nationals who are born here, will remain here and so have a stake in the future of this region.”

Holding a mirror to society

The media is always a good place to start when you want to begin to understand how the society is engaging with a certain issue. In his academic paper “Protecting the Gulf: Climate Change Coverage in GCC Print Media” which was published last year, Dr Bradley Freeman, Associate Professor of Communication and Information Studies at the American University in Dubai, analysis the how ten English-language newspapers from the six GCC countries address climate change. An environmentalist himself, Dr Freeman believes that irrespective what we do, we should all find ways within our scope of work to investigate and take on climate change. It was in this vein that he carried out content analysis on environmental coverage in regional blocs like the GCC and ASEAN. This, coupled with his familiarity with media in the US and Europe, gives him a broad perspective on what is unique about the media narrative on climate change in this region. “It’s quite different here and a lot of that has to do with things outside the issue itself like the kinds of media structures that are in place,” he says.

On how media and societies play off each other, Dr Freeman begins with a caveat. “Newspapers are beginning to have less and less influence on public opinion. We can’t say that increased media coverage means immediate transformation of people’s perceptions and lives. It’s cumulative and a number of researchers in mass communication agree on this. Media can affect us on three levels – awareness, attitudes and behavior, and each is harder than the last. Newspapers tend to lack emotional appeal that is needed to change attitude/behavior so tend to work best on the awareness level,” he says. “I don’t want to discount the ability of newspapers to have an influence but it’s usually in combination with other factors like an event.”

“Typically, in this region, the level of concern is often talked down to a large extent,” Dr Freeman notes. “Someone in the government has a new mandate to talk about the environment, they will have press releases or events to encourage other people to be concerned about that. Or they launch some kind of initiative. The coverage is not usually say, a group of concerned students for the environment. It could be, but it would still revolve around some kind of event called internationally or by the government.”

On how the perception of media, viz whether there is any government-led censorship, Freeman says the average media audience is not overly concerned with that. “And when it comes to environment coverage, it’s hard to gauge what kind of effect any level of control has. In some cases, a newspaper is more likely to write about climate change because a certain government ministry may have decided that this is a big issue that they want to promote.” In fact, a study comparing The National in Dubai and Khaleej Times in Abu Dhabi notes that there were more articles on environment issues in the later because the Abu Dhabi government was keen to talk about all the work they were doing in this area.

Exhibiting neither skepticism nor catastrophism, the general coverage can be broadly understood within a gradualism oriented frame, Dr Freeman says. The articles are also more remedy-oriented. “The undertone is that, ‘Yes, the fossil fuel burning contributes to climate change but we are not ones burning it. We are just selling it. Massive emitters like the US, China and India have a much bigger responsibility. We have to play our part but ultimately our impact is very small. But rest assured it’s going to be okay because we can have international meeting and treaties and policies, and everything is going to be fine.’ That’s the message.”

There is no need for catastrophism when climate catastrophes are the norm, Neeshad feels. “It’s enough to just report on what’s happening around the world while connecting the dots. You just need to co-relate them with climate change and provide critical information backed by scientific studies.”

Dr Luomi too has some suggestions about how environmental coverage can be improved in regional media. “There should be an increase in science journalism. Despite the increasingly number of research coming out of the region about the impact of climate change in the region, we don’t see much of that in the news. For example, there was a very interesting study done by the Abu Dhabi Global Environment Data Initiative with specific cases of impact on energy, water, marine environment, coastal structure, food security, air pollution, etc on national and, to some extent, regional levels. There are a range of studies being done and this and if the media would communicate them, it would bring the topic closer to home for the audience. Second, it’d be great to read about local leaders and nationals in key positions talking about this, about what they are doing every day that has a positive impact on the environment. This will have a lasting impact on the public. And finally, the media can do more highlighting businesses that are embracing sustainability. These kinds of stories that give concrete ideas on how you can green your economy and showcase positive examples of climate action by companies.”

Emotional appeal

It’s obvious that the most effective way to communicate an environmental message is to dial up the emotional appeal. This is why climate communicators are increasingly turning to faith leaders and artists who can disseminate the message on a spiritual level.

Climate Outreach too undertook some work with five main global faiths around what kind of language work most positively for those of those faiths, Clarke says. “It all stems from our perspective of effective and relevant messaging. Faith is the guiding principle for a lot of people and we need to be able to talk about climate change within the context of their faith. We came to some interesting conclusions about the commonalities of language that works across all faiths as well as differences in their approach to environment, communities and narratives. And when Islamic scholars came together to make very strong commitments to climate action around the time of the Paris Agreement, we found that they used many of the few words we identified as key in order to make the message feel relevant to people for whom the Islamic faith is very important. This was very encouraging and we hope to continue to expand that work and make it more effective,” he says.

Neeshad, who wrote about the Islamic perspective on environmentalism, says, “Islamic scriptures talk about conserving water, protecting the earth, etc and say each muslim is a steward of the environment. These are part of the principles to be followed as a Muslim. This message however has been forgotten or push to the background over the years and faith leaders are now trying to revisit these teachings. These activities are ramping up now with Pope Francis’ support for climate action and with leaders from various religions coming together before COP21 to stand for the environment. All over Morocco, during COP22, Friday sermons focused on this aspect of Islam,” he remembers. “Coming from pious place and being talked about as a religious duty, this might have a bigger impact than cold scientific reports.” But he is disappointed that a similar approach wasn’t taken up seriously by countries in the Gulf.

In this respect, Tarsheed has demonstrated some out-of-the-box thinking. Not only did they try to engage worshippers after prayer time at the Education City Mosque but they have supported films through Doha Film Institute that speak about conservation which have proven to be an effective strategy.

Artists like Olafur Eliasson have shown how art can communicate our concerns about the environment in way that even thousands of news articles can’t. The UNFCCC is also now increasingly focusing on art in helping get the public on board. To get a sense of art-driven dialogue in the region, we spoke to Khalifa Al Obaidly, Director of the Artists in Residence programme at the Fire Station.

“I feel the art scene in Qatar is similar to that in the rest of the GCC with some personality deference. Most of the art produced is for decorative purpose and though some senior artists reflect their personal impressions and reactions to a news from the Arab World, I don’t find a real dialog with the society.” But Al Obaidly does say art being used as a vehicle to raise awareness about young people, leads diverse government bodies like the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy and Qatar Rail. “In fact, we are holding a big show at the Fire Station with Qatar Solar Technologies towards the end of the year where we will exhibit works of art by students and established artists created using solar lights.”

Like everywhere else, it’s important here for the government to take the first step, according to Al Obaidly. “It’s very rare to find artists in the region whose art is focused on interacting with the audience to deliver an environmental message. The government ought to encourage artists in this direction as well, instead of relying on commercial companies to craft awareness programmes for the society. Done in a very corporate style, I don’t think these are particularly effective in resonating with the people.”

Q. What exactly does the Youth Assembly do at the United Nations?
A. The Youth Assembly provides a unique platform for meaningful dialogue and partnership between youth, civil society, the private sector, and the United Nations. The conference saw attendance of nearly 1,000 young leaders from 110 countries and provided them an opportunity to learn and equip themselves with the necessary tools, knowledge, and skills to create action-oriented solutions that help achieve the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs).

What was your selection as a representative from Qatar based on?
My selection was based on my work as a youth representative with AYCMQ and also my active involvement in empowering young people through various events and workshops at conferences here in Qatar, the region and also globally. I have been an activist and have campaigned extensively to raise awareness about climate change SDGs. My continuous enthusiasm for the environment and climate change advocacy with youths in the Arab region paved the way to attend the 20th session of the UN Youth Assembly.

Tell us what happened at the Youth Assembly.
The Assembly was opened by the 71st UN General Assembly President Peter Thomson and UN Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth Jayathma Wickramanayake, who in their speeches laid emphasis on inclusiveness, an important aspect of this year’s conference. They urged the attendees to ensure that no one is left behind in our global efforts to end poverty, injustice, inequality and climate change. Different strategies to eradicate poverty, limit climate change and achieve social development were discussed extensively. Representatives from several organisations from around the world also shared their experiences. This youth assembly worked to create a space for dialogue, understanding and cooperation between the Youth Civil Society and the UN. While this discourse is not perfect, it was remarkable to see it in action. Youth groups felt that they were not being given enough space to share their opinions and questions. The Youth Assembly responded by trying to carve out more space for such dialogue.

What was your personal experience like?
I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to learn about the functioning of the UN and to look at areas from a new perspective. The past two years I have been learning about SDGs but the experience at the UN gave me a more in-depth understanding of their importance to our work on the social development front. Slowly throughout the week I began to grasp the magnitude and significance the SDGs have.

Please explain what SDGs are?
Sustainable development goals (SDGs) are a new, universal set of goals, targets and indicators that UN member states will use to frame their agendas and political policies over the next 15 years. It’s a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that everyone enjoys peace and prosperity. The SDGs were officially adopted at a UN summit and became applicable from January 2016. SDGs include areas such as poverty, climate change, economic inequality, innovation, sustainable consumption, peace and justice, among other priorities. They provide clear guidelines and targets for all countries to adopt in accordance with their own priorities and the environmental challenges of the world at large. Achieving the SDGs requires the partnership of governments, private sector, civil society and citizens alike to make sure we leave a better planet for future generations.

What has been your takeaway from the UN Youth Assembly?
Overall, I came back from an extensive week with a much better understanding of the SDGs and the impact they should be having on our government’s policy-making from the local to the national stage. There were stories of success that gave hope to the process and gave me an insight into how a government is responding to these goals. There was a great deal of discussion of what global citizenship means today and personally the challenge of being a citizen of the kingdom of Earth. While youth are among those subjected to exclusion and marginalisation, we have the potential to accelerate and achieve sustainable development in our communities and act towards a greater positive and long-lasting impact.

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