In accordance with the Qatar’s National Emission Reduction Plan 2030, the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha has received the globally recognized Carbon Neutral Certification. This makes it the first museum in the Middle East and Asia to achieve ‘carbon neutrality’.
In order to get this certification, the museum has undergone extensive inspections aimed at measuring the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the operations and services of the facility. In recognition of this achievement, an award ceremony was held at the museum in the presence of senior curators from the Qatar Museums, Det Norske Veritas (DNV), the organization that carried out the verification process, and the Gulf Research and Development Organization (GORD), which worked on the project as a consultant partner.
In Islam, a great deal of attention is paid to ecology. And although the science itself is rather young, in the Holy Quran the Almighty calls for the conservation of natural resources: ‘Eat and drink, but do not waste, for He does not love the wasteful’ (Surah “Al-Araf 7:31).
During the event, Dabiba Jamal Sayyar, Director of Public Facilities at the Qatar Museums, said: ‘Climate change is one of the biggest challenges the world is facing today, and its negative effects are evident all over the world. The Museum of Islamic Art, as one of the leading museums in Qatar, has become a model for other projects’.
Yousef Al-Horr, Founder and Chairman of the Gulf Research and Development Organization (GORD), said: ‘Museums preserve heritage, culture and spirit of peoples over time. The purpose they fulfill is inextricably linked to the idea of environmental sustainability, which aims to preserve our natural resources for the next generations’.
Al-Horr added: ‘By supporting efforts to preserve the environment and preserve cultural heritage, Qatar Museums are investing in the future of the nation and the planet. The Gulf Research and Development Organization (GORD) is proud to be a partner with the Qatar Museums on this journey’.
Globally, this achievement places the Museum of Islamic Art among the few museums that are embarking on the low-carbon transition. In pursuit of carbon neutrality, the Qatar Museums (the institution to which the Museum of Islamic Art belongs) worked with the Gulf Research and Development Organization to capitalize on its extensive expertise in climate change and sustainable development in the region.
The museum was audited by the internationally renowned Det Norske Veritas Company. Speaking at the event, Company Director Prakash Tikare said: ‘Carbon neutrality is now defined as a commitment to achieving zero emissions’.
We would like to note that the scope of activities included in the carbon footprint assessment is quite large. They include studies and measurements of operational impacts related to electricity and water consumption, waste generation, transportation of visitors to the museum and others. As part of the assessment process, all major sources of greenhouse gas emissions have been accounted for using international protocols.
Climate change, exacerbated by rising greenhouse gas emissions, has become one of the great environmental challenges facing the world today. A number of actions have been taken at different levels to address this problem. In this context, the Paris Agreement on Global Climate Change was developed and adopted at the Paris Climate Conference in December 2015 and signed by 195 countries.
Symbolically, it is the Qatar Museum of Islamic Art that has set an example for others to follow by receiving the Carbon Neutrality Certification. With the award of this certification to the Museum of Islamic Art, it is expected that other projects in Qatar will seek the Carbon Neutrality Certification as part of their environmental, social and governance strategy.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Qatar Museum of Islamic Art