World Petroleum Congress in Qatar Will Be Carbon Neutral

As Qatar shoves its way onto the global economic, political, and cultural scene, all green eyes will be on Doha (pictured) December 4 as the 20th World Petroleum Congress (WPC) opens in the tiny emirate.  An announcement that the high-level oil and gas industry event will be “carbon-neutral” is sure to raise eyebrows and cause some to scratch heads.

Nevertheless, in a business world where companies and global organizations want to prove that they are embedding sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) into their operations, the WPC is no different.  To that end, Qatar Petroleum announced yesterday that this meeting of 5000 delegates will be indeed carbon neutral.  Together with the global law firm Baker and McKenzie, enough carbon credits were purchased to  cancel out any carbon emissions linked to the convention.

From Pratap John in the Gulf Times:

The credits will be progressively retired to cover all the verified emissions from the WPC shortly after it concludes. The organizing committee insisted upon strict criteria for any offsetting projects. . . .The event is also developing a detailed recycling plan in conjunction with Qatar Foundation to replicate at the (Qatar National Convention Centre) during the five-day congress and exhibition.

Whatever your opinion on the oil and gas industry may be, this is another step, albeit a bought one.  Now here is a question for the 66 member WPC . . . how about investing in some clean energy technologies to show some sincerity?  It is not about replacing oil, but about procuring a supplemental source of energy in case that dreaded peak oil day ever arrives.  The Middle East, and all of us, would be better off.