QU president Dr Hassan al-Derham and US ambassador Dana Shell Smith attending the seminar.

A seminar highlighting ‘Climate Change: Facts, Risks and Solutions’ was held yesterday at Qatar University (QU).
The seminar brought together experts, students, and researchers to discuss the global impact of climate change and the challenges for the Gulf in general and Qatar in particular.
The event was co-organised by QU and the French embassy in Qatar. It included addresses by QU president Dr Hassan al-Derham and French ambassador Eric Chevallier. Also attending were US ambassador Dana Shell Smith, QU VP and Chief Academic Officer Dr Mazen Hasna, Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) executive director Dr Abdul-Sattar al-Taie, and officials of QU and the French embassy.
About 70 students from Lycée Voltaire and Lycée Bonaparte in Doha also attended and actively participated in the sessions.
QU President said: “The idea behind organising this seminar was in the perspective of ensuring better days for generations to come.”
Dr al-Derham noted Qatar’s commitment to addressing global climate challenges, and referred to HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani’s first address to the 68th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2013 in which he emphasised Qatar’s ongoing efforts to tackling the negative environmental and economic consequences of climate change, and outlined several national initiatives taken to combat desertification and drought.
Dr al-Derham pointed to Qatar University’s integral role in these national initiatives by advancing research on the marine environment, and atmospheric science and human health, for example, and development of biofuels using microalgae, and studying carbon sequestration, among others.
In the first part of the programme, chaired by QNRF director of Energy and Environment Dr Philippe Freyssinet, presentations were delivered by ambassador  Chevallier and QU Environmental Science Centre (ESC) director Dr Jeffrey Obbard.
Chevallier said: “COP21 in Paris in the coming days will provide the world with an opportunity to prove that we care about our future generation. Climate change and global warming are happening now. There is no time to lose, collective action is needed.”