In Qatar, there have been no cases where citizens (on citizen groups) think that their state is breaching the law because it has authorised a project that contributes negatively to climate change or fails to adapt to climate change.
The absence of cases can be explained by: (i) litigation is not a driver for change in Qatar; (ii) political and legislative interventions are driven solely by governmental regulation and enforcement; (iii) there are no legal mechanisms that enable litigation on climate change issues.
Within the Qatar legal system, individuals do not have standing to bring cases against the state for climate change or environmental issues.
Individuals are unable to challenge administrative decisions implemented by the state. Only the government has discretion to challenge and review administrative and legislative decisions.
For more country specific context and relevant national climate change law see: https://climate-laws.org/geographies/qatar
This country report has been produced by Humzah Khan, C2LI Senior Research Assistant and Kate McKenzie, C2LI Legal Analyst. The summary is based on Aaron Richard Harmon and Jon Truby, “Climate Change and the Individual Report on Qatar” in F. Sindico and M. Moise Mbengue, Comparative Climate Change Litigation: Beyond the Usual Suspects, Springer, 2021.