Najam Keynotes at ADB Institute in Tokyo on Climate Leadership in Asia
Professor Adil Najam, WWF Global President and Dean Emeritus and Professor of International Relations at the Pardee School, presented the opening keynote to a gathering of senior environmental policymakers from across central and west Asia, organized at the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) in Tokyo, Japan. The meeting focused on emerging climate and development challenges for Asia and brought together Asian policymakers from key sector ministries including environment and climate, finance, water, infrastructure, and economic planning along with senior officials from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the ADB Institute.
In his opening keynote address, Prof. Najam spoke on climate leadership in Asia. He pointed out that the absence of climate leadership from the developed countries, both in North America and Europe and the mounting urgency of real climate impacts, especially in Asia, has created both the need and an opportunity for Asia to take on the mantle of climate leadership — both in the policy actions they take in their own countries and in introducing novel and innovative ideas and initiatives globally.
Najam talked about what he has been calling the “Age of Adaptation” but highlighted that the severity of the challenges are also opportunities for seeking and defining new paths of action and policy.
“Paths that are rooted in the ideas of sustainable development,” he said, “and are rooted in the lived experiences and development aspirations of those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.”
Najam acknowledged that societies and peoples that had the least to do with creating the climate crisis are now thrust on the frontline of climate impacts, especially as industrialized countries abdicate their historical responsibilities. However, he argued,
“Real climate leadership demands imagining and implementing new paths to sustainable development for all by starting from the felt needs of those who are at the forefront of climate impacts.”
He emphasized that this will require moving away from empty climate promises and slogans and towards real action and real commitment to sustainable development.
Adil Najam is Dean Emeritus and Professor at the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. He served as the Inaugural Dean of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies from 2014-2022. He is also a former Vice-Chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). Read more about Najam on his Pardee School faculty profile.