April 23, 2018 Red Theatre, CUD: The 2018 Global Climate Change conference began with an opening ceremony attended by government representatives, members of the Canadian diplomatic community and guest speakers from Canada and beyond.
Opening the ceremony, His Excellency Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, UAE, spoke about the UAE government’s plans to address global issues.
Professor Alaa Abd El Aziz, President of the University of Prince Edward Island, Canada, also addressed the audience. The University of Prince Edward Island (UPE) is co-hosting the conference with CUD.
A Memorandum of Understanding signed by Dr. Karim Chelli, President and Vice Chancellor of CUD, and Professor Alaa Abd-El Aziz outlines the cooperation between CUD and UPE and includes the proposed launch of new joint degree programs related to a Bachelor of Environmental Studies and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Climate Change and Adaptation.
Among the keynote speakers was Dr. Francisco Dallmeier, Senior Conservation Biologist and Director of the Smithsonian Center for Conservation and Sustainability, who spoke about “global diversity conservation under a changing climate.”
He was followed by Dr. Daniel Scott, Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management and Executive Director of the Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change at the University of Waterloo, who addressed “global climate change and sustainable tourism.”
Finally, Ms. Mashael Al Ansari, Climate Change Specialist from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment in the UAE, gave a presentation about “the climate change opportunities and challenges in the UAE.” She is currently pursuing her MBA at CUD.
Over the next few days, a series of keynote speakers from Canada will address other issues surrounding climate change.
The three-day conference, which focuses on the challenges and opportunities of climate change, biodiversity and sustainability, is sponsored by Emirates and Air Canada.
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