Sustainability in Qatar & the GCC: Environmental Challenges & Opportunities

Sep 15, 2025

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The author of "Sustainable Qatar: Social, Political and Environmental Perspectives" delves into the multifaceted meaning of sustainability, especially within the context of the Arabian Peninsula. Our guest unpacks the region's unique environmental challenges, including sea level rise, extreme weather events, and biodiversity loss, and explores the innovative strategies being implemented to build a more resilient future. An Associate Professor at the College of Public Policy at Hamad bin Khalifa University, Logan Cochrane, also critically examines the concept of "greenwashing," the complexities of global sustainability metrics, and the challenges of policy making.

0:00:00 The Nuance of Sustainability

0:03:05 Environmental Challenges in the GCC

0:06:08 Time Scale of Environmental Issues

0:09:42 Food Security in the Arabian Peninsula

0:17:40 Water Sources and Challenges in Qatar

0:20:25 Future Challenges and Adaptation in Arid Environments

0:22:53 Skepticism Towards Energy Transitions

0:24:50 Defining Greenwashing

0:31:11 The Politics of Sustainability Metrics

0:38:10 Global Leaders in Sustainability

0:41:09 The Environmental Impact of Electric Vehicles

0:48:10 The "Game of Telephone" in Policy Making

0:51:30 Non-Governmental Efforts in Sustainability

Logan Cochrane is an Associate Professor at the College of Public Policy at Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU). His research includes diverse geographic and disciplinary foci, covering broad thematic areas of food security, climate change, social justice and governance. For the last 15 years, he has worked in non-governmental organizations internationally, including in Afghanistan, Benin, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Logan has served as a director for two non-governmental organizations, and worked as a consultant with clients such as Global Affairs Canada, International Development Research Centre, Save the Children, Management Sciences for Health, the Liaison Office, UNICEF and UNAIDS.

Connect with Logan Cochrane 👉 https://qa.linkedin.com/in/logancochrane

Hosted by:
Mikey Muhanna 👉 https://www.instagram.com/mikey_mu/?hl=en-gb

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