Abstract
Unprecedented economic and population growth rates in the last two decades led to a major physical transformation of tiny-hydrocarbon city-state Qatar. The scale of transformation was historic which led to improved well-being and a high-quality lifestyle. This paper presents a detailed, integrated urban metabolism or resource throughput to this tiny city-state. We quantified material, energy and water consumption between 1998 and 2019 using locally generated data at a higher resolution. Major hydrocarbon and infrastructure projects such as LNG/GTL, road networks throughout the country and infrastructure related to the upcoming sporting event FIFA® such as stadiums, metro contributed to the growth of resource use. Also, we discussed the impact of changing lifestyle patterns over the last few decades on various resource commodities. Resource consumption such as water, energy, and materials has increased significantly, and there is a little sign of slowing down. Although the emissions from the industrial sector are saturating, the urban emissions resulting from domestic electricity/water consumption and transport is relentlessly marching upwards. The domestic landfill waste shows no sign of curbing despite efforts to mitigate waste. This paper provides a broader framework and resource efficient development pathways for Qatar that suits local socioeconomic and cultural settings. Keywords: urban metabolism, urban sustainability, resource efficiency
