While the world sees Iran up to nuclear arms, Qatar and Iran have signed a memorandum of understanding regarding helping to preserve the environment. Qatarâ€™s Gulf Times reported that a memorandum of understanding was signed on February 22 by Qatarâ€™s Minister for the Environment, Abdullah bin Mubarak bin Aboud al-Midhadhi, and by Iran's environment head Mohamed Javad Mohamedi Zadeh. In the understanding, the two countries agree to be involved together in a number of environmental areas:

Managing green reserves, green spaces, plant growth and animal husbandry, in addition to the environmental management of coastal areas, desertification control and the exchange of experiences and expertise between the two countries.

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We have already noted several environmental projects that Qatar has unilaterally been involved in, including the construction of a new green LEED convention center (see image) in Doha, an agreement between Qatar's Doha Bank and UNESCO to "Green the Middle East,"and a television program by Qatar TV, "Stars of Science," that focused on environmentally friendly science and technology projects.

But does their abilities in any way match the pace that's been set by the rest of the world, and can Iran look past its current activities and see a greener future?

Iran's involvement in environmentally friendly projects has been largely overshadowed by its ongoing nuclear energy program, however; which many countries fear is being undertaken for the purpose of acquiring nuclear weapons. They do have some environmental projects, including one we reporting on bio-fuels from algae at a site near the large Maharlu Salt Lake in Fars Province. But Iran cannot hide its nuclear ambitions. As we have noted in several articles, nuclear energy, even for peaceful purposes, is not exactly the most environmentally friendly. Other regional countries, including Jordan and Abu Dhabi, are also considering nuclear power stations.

Article continues: http://www.greenprophet.com/2010/02/28/17972/qatar-iran-environment/