Su tasarrufu: Dünyanın en değerli kaynağını koruma amaçlı Katar merkezli girişimler
Katar'ın kurak ve kuru iklimini göz önünde bulunduran Katar merkezli iki çevre dostu teknoloji şirketi, yenilikçi iklim koşullarına dayanıklı çözümler kullanarak gökyüzünden nemi yakalayıp su üretiyor; biri insanların susuzluğunu giderirken, diğeri ise ekinler için su üretiyor.
00:30On this episode, we continue to explore sustainability initiatives happening across the country
00:35and understand how new solutions in place help conserve the Earth's most valuable resource, water.
00:42I also sit down with Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus to find out how he thinks we could do a better job of protecting the planet.
00:50But first, Yuanahu's visited two companies in Doha that have turned to the sky to power their pioneering food and water systems on the ground.
01:00Water is the essence of life, but in the GCC, with its harsh climate and limited fresh water sources,
01:08technology is crucial for producing sufficient and sustainable drinking water.
01:13Eco-friendly technology company Skydrops offers an innovative solution,
01:17a water generation plant that captures moisture from the sky to produce drinking water that, quite literally, has come out of thin air.
01:25In the GCC, you never run out of humidity, so I think it's a really untapped resource.
01:30When we say that our water is ultra-pure, this is not a marketing gimmick.
01:33This is a scientific term because when you capture water from the air, you're not capturing a lot of the toxins
01:40and a lot of the metals that you typically get from groundwater.
01:43And also throughout the water plant, we've made it very, very important for us to really cut out microplastics
01:49and then distribute it also in a sustainable manner with reusable glass and aluminum bottles.
01:54People may have concern about the quality of air from which the water is extracted.
01:59However, we have air filters to filter out the intake air and then carbon and spun filters and also UV light to purify the extracted water.
02:09So that's why the water is thoroughly purified and safe for consumption.
02:13Much of the region's drinking water currently comes from so-called desalination, the process of removing salt and minerals from the sea.
02:20But the costs of desalination are high for government's pockets and the planet.
02:25The toxins that's released in the air, this is something very difficult to get around because it is a very heavy manufacturing process of water.
02:33And also because of the brine that it releases into the marine ecosystem and the damage that it can have on marine life.
02:39So I think with atmospheric water generation, because we're operating on such a small carbon footprint, it's a much more sustainable option.
02:48But Qatar is increasingly recognizing the potential of harnessing humidity and turning scarcity into sustainability.
02:55Another company in Qatar, agri-tech startup V-Farms also extracts moisture from the sky, but not to quench the thirst of humans, but of crops.
03:04V-Farms has developed a climate resilient technology that allows farmers to grow produce in remote and arid locations, but without the need for an external water or electricity supply.
03:16Of course, the main problems here are the heat, the humidity and not being able to grow conventionally.
03:26So what we did, we created the controlled climate where we use the water that we're harvesting from the air and where we're utilizing solar energy.
03:36We're not using any pesticides.
03:38And what makes our farm more sustainable than others, particularly in Qatar and in this region, is that we can provide all year round production for certain crops, which you cannot achieve outdoors.
03:52V-Farms technology is in its infancy. They are still testing the waters, if you will, of sustainable farming.
03:58But its founder says its eco-friendly systems are a step towards achieving global food and water security, drop by drop.
04:05Our main mission is to feed the growing population of the world with environmentally friendly technologies.
04:13I hope that we're building the foundation for the agritech industry to transform food industry and the whole world.
04:21As chief advisor of Bangladesh's interim government, His Excellency Professor Dr. Mohamed Yunus leads the country dealing with corruption,
04:31a struggling economy, and coping with the effects of climate change.
04:35The latter is one of the topics he's come to discuss at this year's Earthness Summit,
04:39a forum with the goal of advancing sustainability in hot and arid environments.
04:44I sat down with the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner on the sidelines of the summit.
04:49Welcome to Doha. Thank you.
04:51You're here at the Earthness Summit. You said countries responsible for warming up the planet should help pay to deal with climate change.
04:58What effect does global warming have on vulnerable populations in the global south?
05:03It's all created by our habits, our way of dealing with each other, our businesses, our policies, and so on, all made of the civilization.
05:13Wherever you go, buy, buy, buy. Discount, bargain. You produce things which people will use once and throw away.
05:23So it's a waste-creating system. As long as our lifestyle is not adjusted to the safety and security of the planet, we'll destroy it.
05:34This civilization doesn't believe in safety and security of the planet. They want to enjoy themselves.
05:41So we have to be responsible and we have to create a civilization of responsibility that how to protect the planet and then live here in a decent, responsible way.
05:54So we need to create that.
05:56What are the challenges in providing clean water in Bangladesh and the global south?
06:00Everywhere. Same problem. You pollute and you look for clean water.
06:04You throw all the plastic into your river and you're looking for clean water.
06:10You throw all the garbage in your river, in your water system, you look for clean water.
06:15So you put all the kind of chemicals to clean it and so on and you pollute water more because you put chemicals into it.
06:21That's not sustainability. Absolutely. You have to change your lifestyle.
06:26With many Bangladeshis worried about where the next meal is coming from, how do you convince the public that climate change and sustainability are important issues to address?
06:35With the poor people, the people who are worrying about the next meal, they don't care about the environment and so on.
06:43Because you don't care about the environment either. So how can you tell other people to care about it when you yourself don't believe in it?
06:50You have created a system where you are always encouraging to buy.
06:56Either it's Christmas or eat, buy, buy, buy. All you are creating waste. You buy and throw away.
07:04So you are encouraging that and then asking somebody else to do that. Opposite. You can't do that.
07:11You have to build a system where you follow the rules for everybody.
07:15We all have to make sure our lifestyle is not waste-creating lifestyle. It's a lifestyle which we reuse, we protect, we preserve, not throw away.
07:26If you look at the vegetable industry around the world, particularly in Europe, almost 40% of the vegetable is thrown away. Fresh vegetables. Why?
07:37Because they don't fulfill this tender shape, waste-creating, throwing good food away, good things, good shirt away because it's out of fashion.
07:46You created something called fashion. Fashion industry. What? Meaning that today what you are wearing, tomorrow you must not wear that. Fashion industry.
07:55They brainwashed you. It's a good shirt, good dress, good thing. Yesterday it was a hot item. Today it's a bad item. That's waste.
08:04Since 2010, Qatar Science and Technology Park has been home to the ConocoPhillips Global Water Sustainability Center.
08:15In recent years, the company has invested in developing innovative solutions for treating produced water from the oil and gas industry.
08:22The idea is to show Qatar has added its voice to the global water sustainability conversation.
08:29This state-of-the-art facility serves one main purpose, to analyze water and provide support not only in Qatar, but to many countries.
08:38The Global Water Sustainability Center brings together the experience and expertise of engineers and analytical scientists, which makes it unique.
08:47Michelle Almas is one of three Qatari scientists on the team.
08:51A part of our mission involved really supporting the country's capacity building and focusing on the cultivation of local talents of engineers and scientists.
09:00And as a Qatari engineer since I joined the center, there has been a journey of development opportunities to enhance my technical skills and knowledge, as well as broaden my creativity and innovation.
09:12The center is the research arm of oil and gas company ConocoPhillips. They conduct research in water and wastewater treatment technology, including seawater desalination.
09:22Dr. Samar Adam says for every barrel of oil, three to four barrels of water are also produced.
09:28In the past, we used to really dispose it. We inject it back to the reservoir to maintain pressure and enhance oil recovery.
09:37However, with the increased pressure on the regulations, as well as environmental sustainability guidelines and also advancement of the water technologies, opportunities are being looked upon right now to how to treat this water and recycle it for beneficial reuse.
09:53That's a large part of why his team created the Global Water Sustainability Center 15 years ago to come up with new ways to manage this byproduct.
10:03Before we established the center, many of the water samples used to be shipped overseas for analysis.
10:08And we have this state of the art laboratory right now and unique expertise.
10:14And we are able to send the samples directly to our lab here, which facilitate the shipping as well as the quickness and the fastness of coming up with a solution.
10:25Water-related research is one thing, but getting the word out to the public is another.
10:30Here at the Water Visitors Center, the GWSC hopes these interactive hands-on exhibits promoting water conservation awareness will engage people at a grassroots level, especially school children.
10:43By teaching children about water conservation, the hope is it will show how they can make a difference in their own homes.
10:50Iman El-Shamari leads the outreach program for the Water Visitors Center.
10:54Qatar is a water-scarious country and the focus has been to get the water supplies from the salty sea through desalination.
11:03Desalination is highly energy-intensive and costly treatment technology, so that means every drop counts.
11:11And in the oil and gas sector, waste water is generated.
11:16So at the GWSC, we are focusing on treating this water to be recycled and to be reused in the plants.
11:25In that way, we minimize the demand on the expensive desalinated water in the industry.
11:31From sustainability experts weighing in on efforts to conserve water, to a Nobel Peace Prize winner discussing ways we pollute our most valuable resource,
11:43we hope you enjoyed learning about some initiatives underway to protect our planet.
11:47But that's all the time we have for now. For more, check out Euronews.com and connect with us to our hashtag.
11:52Thanks for watching, and we'll see you next time on Qatar 365.
