Prof. Najam Delivers Keynote on Copenhagen Negotiations

Prof. Adil Najam, Director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future and Professor of International Relations, Geography and Environment at Boston University, delivered the keynote address at a symposium on “Broadening the Perspectives on Forests Beyond REDD+ and Copenhagen” held at Wageningen University, The Netherlands. Prof. Najam argued that the expectations that had been invested in the Copenhagen negotiations on climate change were unrealistic and although a disappointment, the meeting was not without its achievements. However, he stressed that neither the climate issue nor the forests issue can be meaningfully be tackled until they are seen as development issues rather than just as environmental concerns.

Prof. Adil Najam’s keynote address was followed by a discussion on his remarks by an eminent panel consisting of Dr. Jag Maini, former Vice Minister for Forests for Canada and former Director of the UNFF, Dr. Hosny El Lakany, former Assistant Director of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and Prof. William Moomaw of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. The symposium was introduced by Dr. Patrick Verkooijen of the World Bank, chaired by Dr. Ingrid Visseren-Hamakers of Wageningen University and included closing summaries by Prof. Rik Leemens and Prof. Bas Arts, both of Wageningen University.