Dean Najam Keynotes at IARU Science Congress
The International Alliance of Research Univeristies (IARU) brought together some of the leading sustainability experts in the world together for the 2014 Sustainability Science congress, including Dr. Adil Najam, Dean of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. The congress focused on the theme of ‘Global Challenges: Achieving Sustainability,’ was organized by the Univeristy of Copenhagen, and featured Prof. Adil Najam’s plenary keynote speech on ‘Climate, Development and Security in the Age of Adaptation’ (October 23, 2014).
Dr. Adil Najam, who is a Professor of International Relations and of Earth and Environment, emphasized the importance of taking a truly global perspective not only on issues related to the environment but also those related to development and to security. He argued that the world needs both global leadership and global citizenship in order to deal with these three linked challenges.
Dean Najam suggested that we are already living in the ‘Age of Adaptation’ which means that it is no longer enough to think of climate change only in terms of carbon management. Instead, climate change has now become a challenge of development and of human security. Within this challenge, he argued, is the opportunity to push for real sustainable development.
Dr. Najam’s plenary keynote was followed by a a talk by Dr. Jane Lubchenco, the former head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The session was moderated by Dr. Nina Fedoroff, Professor at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and Penn State University. The opening session of the conference included a speech by Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt of Denmark, and Connie Hedegaard, the former Minister of Environment for Denmark and current EU Commissioner for Climate Change. Other speakers at the conference included Johan Rockström, Director of Stockholm Resilience Centre; Peter Bakker, President of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD); Nebojsa Nakicenovic, Deputy Director General of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA); and Rasmus Helveg Petersen, Danish Minister of Climate, Energy and Buildings.
A report of Dean Adil Najam’s talk can be read in the Copenhagen University newspaper, University Post. Tweets related to the talk can be viewed here. A video of Dean Najam’s presentation and session can be viewed here.