Najam Calls for Immediate Action on Climate Change in “Boston Globe” Op-Ed
Adil Najam, Dean Emeritus and Professor of International Relations and Earth and Environment at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, published a Boston Globe op-ed on the “Age of Adaptation” and the immediate need to act on global climate change.
In his article, titled “Welcome to the ‘Age of Adaptation’,” Najam outlines the dire state of the climate and states that the issue can no longer be thought of in terms of emissions. Extreme weather events around the world such as the recent floods in Pakistan show that climate change is here and now; the impacts are being felt, particularly by the poorest and most vulnerable countries. Unfortunately, Najam argues that as “global climate change become more local and the immediacy sinks in…expect the discourse to become more shrill, the negotiations more contentious, and the divisions between high-emission and high-impact countries more divisive.”
With COP27 underway, Najam expects there to be greater demands for “climate justice” or some kind of legal mechanism for those countries with high emissions to pay for the damage and loss caused in low-emission vulnerable countries. As talks begin, he hopes delegates will recognize the failures of past mitigation efforts and make immediate investments in adaptation.
The full article can be read on the Boston Globe‘s website.
Adil Najam is a global public policy expert who served as the Inaugural Dean of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University and was the former Vice-Chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). His research focuses on issues of global public policy, especially those related to global climate change, South Asia, Muslim countries, environment and development, and human development. Read more about Najam on his faculty profile.