Deans Najam & Galea Explore the Realities of Climate Change
On November 11, 2020, Adil Najam, Dean of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University (BU), and Sandro Galea, Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor at BU’s School of Public Health, spoke during a fireside chat titled “Facing the Realities of Climate Change.” The event was open to all members of the BU community, including alumni, students, faculty, and staff.
During the event, the two scholars discussed climate change, how it is disproportionately effecting marginalized people and countries, and what must be done to address the crisis. The two were quick to recognize that the scope of climate issues has morphed; it is no longer just about carbon mitigation but also an issue of systemic structural inequalities, sustainable development, and global inaction.
At the top of the program, Dean Najam emphasized that we are living in the Age of Adaptation, meaning humanity has failed to mitigate the buildup of greenhouse gases and now made climate change a reality which people need to globally adjust adjust to. He noted that it is sometimes difficult to see the local effects of change, so when vulnerable countries are hit hard by wildfires, droughts, and other severe weather events, it is easier to assign blame rather accept collective fault.
Galea echoed Najam’s sentiments stating it takes humility to admit “we know less than we know,” and that is necessary when addressing cries such as climate change and COVID-19. He went on to discuss how public health is now at the forefront of the climate change debate and how the scope of the field has greatly expanded to include it. Galea stressed that, in addressing the crisis, researchers need to think beyond carbon mitigation and look at the institutional structures that have promoted its use. Only in expanding the scope of climate research can scientists address emission reduction, combat the effects of climate change, and restructure institutions that have left many more vulnerable to its effects.
Similarly, Najam said that climate change cannot be effectively addressed without climate justice and development at the center of the conversation. In addition, he explained that it is vital to address climate change on a global scale. This, he said, is the greatest challenge facing humanity, and individual countries will not be able to address the crisis alone. Najam closed out the event by saying climate change can be addressed but only if humanity acts now and makes solutions and renewable energy equitable and accessible to all.
A recording of the fireside chat is available below.
[Update: November 17, 2020] The event was also featured in The Daily Free Press on November 16, 2020.
Adil Najam is a global public policy expert who also served as the Vice Chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan. He is 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 him here.