A Rentier State under Blockade: Qatar’s Water-Energy-Food Predicament from Energy Abundance and Food Insecurity to a Silent Water Crisis
by
Hussam Hussein 1,2,*
and Laurent A. Lambert 3,†
Hussam Hussein 1,2,* and Laurent A. Lambert 3,†
1
Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR), University of Oxford, Manor Road, Oxford OX1 3UQ, UK
2
International Agricultural Policy and Environmental Governance, Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences, University of Kassel, 37213 Witzenhausen, Germany
3
Department of Public Policy, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Al Tarfa Street, Zone 70, P.O. Box 200592, Doha, Qatar
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Both authors contributed equally to this manuscript.
Water 2020, 12(4), 1051; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12041051
Received: 29 February 2020 / Revised: 1 April 2020 / Accepted: 5 April 2020 / Published: 8 April 2020
(This article belongs to the Section Water, Agriculture and Aquaculture)
This article investigates Qatar’s sustainability crisis of the high levels of water, electricity and food use. The high levels of consumption have been enabled by Qatar’s significant hydrocarbons wealth, a generous rentier state’s redistributive water governance, and structural dependence on imported food and food production subsidies. The water crisis is silent because it does not generate supply disruptions nor any public discontentment. The geopolitical blockade Qatar is experiencing sparked discussions in policy circles on the best ways to ensure food security, but has only exacerbated its water insecurity. The blockade makes more urgent than ever the necessity to maximize and increase synergies among different sectors.
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Keywords:
desalination; water-energy-food; rentier state; redistributive water governance; Qatar; blockade
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MDPI and ACS Style
Hussein, H.; Lambert, L.A. A Rentier State under Blockade: Qatar’s Water-Energy-Food Predicament from Energy Abundance and Food Insecurity to a Silent Water Crisis. Water 2020, 12, 1051.
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