Green Economic Recovery After COVID-19: Thoughts and Reflection on the GCC Region and Potential Scenarios for Qatar

The global COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the economies of the GCC countries, as it has in many other countries. The GCC governments have responded by addressing the health effects and providing relief to businesses and workers who have been harmed. As part of their rescue and recovery strategies, many GCC countries have implemented measures that will aid in the advancement of environmental goals. However, much more needs to be done to guarantee that recovery plans expedite the transition to a green economy, hence increasing resilience to external shocks. This chapter examines COVID-19-related policies in GCC nations in terms of their ability to accelerate the transition to a greener, climate-resilient, and low-carbon economy. A special focus is given to the case of the state of Qatar. Three potential scenarios are analyzed and compared Recommendations provide strategies for the Qatari government to ensure that their efforts to help economic recovery are aligned with their goals on climate change, biodiversity, and environmental conservation in general.