Najam Urges Doctors Without Borders (MSF) to Redouble Climate Efforts
On August 4, 2022, Adil Najam, Dean Emeritus and Professor of International Relations and Earth and Environment at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, participated in the Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) 2022 Asia Scientific Days conference. The conference was organized jointly by MSF and the University of Sri Jayewardenepura’s Faculty of Medical Sciences.
In his remarks, Najam highlighted that we are now in what he calls the “Age of Adaptation” and the world needs to reconceptualize our actions and the urgency of all climate issues. “That the climate is changing is no longer a question,” he stated, “but it is a question of whether we are capable or willing to change our own actions, and especially our lifestyles to cope with the crisis at hand.”
Najam also highlighted that the humanitarian sector and organizations like MSF need to redouble their own efforts not just in reducing their climate footprints but in addressing the critical climate justice and climate impacts that are being felt by the poorest and most vulnerable communities of the world. This call comes despite the fact that the problem is the result of the callous inattention of the rich and comfortable middle classes, particularly in industrialized countries.
A recording of Najam’s remarks can be viewed below.
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.