Najam Keynotes at Energy Transitions Conference
Adil Najam, Dean of the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, was invited to present the opening keynote address at the International Conference on Sustainable Energy held in Islamabad, Pakistan on March 12-13, 2019.
Najam’s keynote, which followed the conference opening by Pakistan’s Minister for Power and Energy, focused on ‘Energy Transitions in the Age of Adaptation.’ The keynote talk argued the centrality of energy security and energy poverty as key concepts for developing countries to focus on. In particular, Najam emphasized that the energy transition could be an opportunity for developing countries to ‘leapfrog’ to cleaner and newer technologies without having to repeat the learning curve of more mature economies.
Najam argued that the arrival of the ‘Age of Adaptation’ and of the energy transition are two great historical realities. They pose significant new challenges to developing countries, but they also call for bold policies and choices from developing countries.
The conference was co-organized by the US-Pakistan Centers of Advanced Studies in Energy (USP-CASE), Arizona State University and USAID.
Adil Najam is the inaugural dean of the Pardee School and a commentator on foreign policy and diplomacy in South Asia. Learn more about him here.