What is Qatar's pathway to limit global warming to 1.5°C?
Current Situation
Emissions profile
The energy sector contributes more than 90% to Qatar’s total GHG emissions.1 The combustion of fossil fuels in the industry, power, and transport sectors is responsible for more than half of the GHG emissions in the country. Fugitive emissions from energy industries such as oil and gas exploration account for about one-third of total GHG emissions. Emissions from industrial processes (6.2%), waste (1.1%) and agriculture (0.4%) make up Qatar’s remaining GHG emissions.
Emissions from several sectors have increased steeply over the past two decades, making Qatar one of the countries with the highest per capita GHG emissions.2,3
Qatar's current GHG emissions
MtCO₂e/yr
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Graph description
Historical emissions per gas and per sector. LULUCF emissions are not available
Data References
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Energy system
GHG emissions in Qatar have increased steeply along with its rapid economic growth over the past two decades.4 As one of the largest exporters of oil and gas in the world,5 the increase in exploration of oil and gas has contributed significantly to Qatar’s increasing GHG emissions.
Electricity generation in Qatar is almost completely reliant on gas-fired power plants. As of 2015, the total installed power capacity in Qatar was approximately 9 GW.6 The installed capacity of renewable energy was 24 MW in 2021. Waste and biogas power plants made up the majority of the capacity (19MW), followed by solar (5MW).7,8 Primary energy supply in Qatar is also dominated by gas which contributes more than 80%, with the rest made up by oil.9
Targets and commitments
Economy-wide targets
Target type
Baseline scenario target
NDC target
25% below BAU levels by 203010
No BAU scenario is provided in Qatar’s NDC document, Using a BAU range based on historical emissions trends and modelled pathways, we estimate that Qatar’s NDC aims for an emissions level of 147–213 MtCO₂e/yr excluding LULUCF.
Long-term target
Qatar has not yet released long-term targets but according to QatarEnergy’s 2020 Sustainability Report, the government will announce such details in the near future.11
Sectoral targets
Energy
Qatar has not submitted any official communications to the UNFCCC that would include quantitative targets for any sector, however, state-owned petroleum company QatarEnergy released a Sustainability Strategy indicating some targets for the energy sector. These include:
- reducing methane intensity by 0.2% by 2025;
- reducing carbon intensity of LNG facilities by 25% and upstream operations by 15% compared to 2013 levels by 2030;
- installing CCS capacity to capture 9 MtCO₂/yr from LNG and upstream facilities by 2030;
- reducing routine gas flaring to zero by 2030.12
Power
- Qatar Energy’s Sustainability Strategy outlines that the country will add 2 to 4 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.13
Transport
- Qatar established an Electric Vehicle Strategy in 2021 setting a target of electrifying 25% of the country’s public bus transport fleet by 2022 and 100% by 2030.14