By Mahasen Moudallali and Moza AlKhayyal
UNIVERSITY CITY, SHARJAH – The American University of Sharjah on Tuesday hosted the Higher Education Climate Dialogues Conference, the first such student-led conference in the United Arab Emirates, that focused on promoting sustainability across campus operations, culture, research, and teaching.
The conference, held in collaboration with New York University Abu Dhabi, included two panel discussions, a competition in collaboration with the Dubai National Air Travel Agency, a simulation gamifying the climate-based negotiation experience, and a research exhibition
Panel one, under the title “Pathway to Progress: UAE’s Roadmap to Net Zero,” reflected on the nationally determined contributions the UAE has committed to and explained what sustainability in the UAE looks like.
AUS partnered with the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy and Youth 4 Sustainability to create a workshop to equip students with skills to participate in global climate negotiations.
Amaan Siddiqui, the head of research, said “with the UAE hosting COP28, HECD was truly an important first step among many more to come from the American University of Sharjah as students simulated negotiations, networked, and learned from insightful panel discussions.”
