Georgetown University: School of Foreign Service in Qatar

International experts gathered at the Intercontinental Hotel in Doha on Monday, 2 November, to discuss the impact of water and climate change on the Gulf. The lecture, sponsored by the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS), brought a crowd of more than 300 people to hear leading academics from the US and Europe discuss the current state of the environment and the impact of water resources on inhabitants of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the world.

The panel discussion, moderated by Mehran Kamrava, the Interim Dean at Georgetown’s Qatar campus and Director of CIRS, began with a presentation by Georgetown University professor Tim Beach on the importance of water to offset the effects of global warming. Beach focused on water’s dual function of sustaining ecosystems and direct human consumption. In his presentation, Beach focused on the current crisis in protecting wetlands. “In the last 100 years, about half of the world’s wetlands have disappeared,” he said.

He reiterated the importance of protecting these areas by commenting on the importance wetlands have on humanity. According to Beach, “Many wetlands are the most productive ecosystems on earth,” due to the biodiversity resulting from their rich soil and clean water. Additionally, he explained to the audience that wetland areas are effective at sequestering excess carbon dioxide from the air, thus helping to reduce carbon dioxide-driven climate change.

In looking at the region, Beach offered several recommendations to GCC countries. “Conservation and efficiency do work… and can be a cornerstone for good international policy,” he said. He supported the need for regional cooperation and resource expansion, as well as increased protection of wetland areas.

The second panelist, Sharif Elmusa, a political scientist at Georgetown’s Qatar campus, evaluated the potential possibility of wars occurring over water relative to wars over oil. He explained that, while a precious resource, water problems are only regionally significant because it can be found around the world, but is scarce in particular areas.

Oil reserves, on the other hand, are located in relatively few specific locations on the globe. As a result, Sharif described oil as a “global commodity” that is sold on the world market. This difference has made wars over oil a particular threat to the GCC region.

The third panelist, Mari Luomi, a political scientist at the Finnish Institute for International Affairs, described potential sources of threats to GCC countries. Her presentation focused on how GCC and OPEC countries see climate change as a threat to their economies.

She described the physical, social and economic consequences of climate change to all countries. Particularly, Luomi mentioned that the consequences move beyond rising temperatures to increasing natural disasters, diminishing water and food security, as well as population migration. “The [GCC] region, due to its low water security and political instability, is considered as one of the most vulnerable in the world,” she said. If conditions worsen, this may cause existing tensions to rise, resulting in increased instability and a militarization of resources.

Luomi explained the important decisions that oil-producing countries must make in terms of evaluating losses in oil revenue against an increase in climate security. Looking at Qatar, she highlighted the potential positive impacts of promoting natural gas as the cleanest fossil fuel available, as well as Qatar’s role as a regional political leader to take charge in aligning political and environmental interests.