Najam Speaks at European Law Institute’s Annual Meeting in Vienna
Dean Emeritus Adil Najam was invited as a keynote speaker at the opening plenary of the European Law Institute’s Annual Meeting held at the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna. Najam, who is also the President of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) emphasized the central role lawyers and judges can play in shaping and implementing policies related to nature and climate on global, national, and local levels. He said that in a fragmenting world, we can expect the justice system to be a key actor in high-level environmental decisions.
Najam cited the recent findings of the International Court of Justice and argued that we’re entering the “Age of Adaption” where climate is no longer a future concern but rather an immediate one. This issue is further complicated with a global environmental policy that’s becoming increasingly contentious. He added that for productive resolutions for climate, it’s essential for all institutions to participate, including global judiciary and legal professionals.
Adil Najam is the dean emeritus at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and the professor of international relations and of earth and environment. An authority on climate action and South Asian politics, he has taught at MIT and Tufts University and is currently serving as the president of WWF International. He was a visiting fellow at the University of Oxford’s Wolfson College and was named the first De Janosi Fellow at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria. A prolific writer, Najam has authored more than 100 academic papers and published eight books including South Asia 2060: Envisioning Regional Futures (2013) and How Immigrants Impact their Homelands (2013). To know more about his work and accomplishments, visit his faculty profile.