Doha • Experts from Education City and around the world came together on Monday to discuss the environmental consequences of Qatar's rapid industrialization.

Panelists from each of the branch campuses at Education City took part in the discussion, a press release said.

The event was sponsored by the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) and the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Qatar).

Timothy Beach, director for Georgetown University's Center for the Environment, described how the earth's climate tends to follow short cycles of warm weather followed by longer eras of cold weather. According to Beach, these cycles explain the desertion of the Mayan people, as well as settlement of people along the Nile river valley.

Patrick Linke discussed water resource issues in Qatar. As a chemical engineer with Texas A&M University in Qatar, Linke has been studying the use of seawater and desalinated water to fulfill the needs of the rapid industrialization.

Deborah Lange of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh described the leadership role the University is taking in creating and promoting sustainable business practices. In addition to promoting environment-friendly operations at the University, CMU also integrates environmental awareness throughout the undergraduate and graduate programs. For these reasons, Carnegie Mellon was listed by the Sierra Club as one of the top 10 organizations that are committed to environmental action. The Sierra Club is on of the oldest grassroots environmental organizations with more than 1.3 million members in America.

Peter Martin, a professor of communication design from Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, explained the unique relationship between environmental problems and cultural problems.

Renee Richer, a biology professor from Weill Cornell Medical Center in Qatar, discussed the challenges of conservation as a result of Qatar's rapid industrialization.

Qatar is a very unique environment, she explained, due to the extreme temperatures, low rainfall, and high water salinity. Unfortunately, Qatar's small size and recent growth has meant that an accurate tally of the diversity of species in Qatar is not available. The rapid growth means that animal habitats are being destroyed, as well as resources being exploited. The rising population in Qatar is one example.