The Museum of the Future, in collaboration with Dubai-based interdisciplinary think tank, Fiker Institute, concluded the inaugural ‘Climate Future Week’ with more than 6300 government officials, industry leaders, futurists, academics, and senior delegates in attendance.
Climate Future Week took place from 26 to 30 September and was hosted at the Museum of the Future, a global platform dedicated to studying, conceiving and designing the future and creating deep discussions about its trends across scientific, economic, environmental and social sectors.
The last day of the event commenced with a powerful ‘Countdown to COP28’ discussion between COP28 President-Designate, His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber and UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28 and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) President Her Excellency Razan Al Mubarak. The session was moderated by Emirati Author, Rhodes Scholar, and Founder of Fiker Institute, Dubai Abulhoul.
Dr. Sultan Al Jaber said: “The UAE assumes the responsibility of hosting COP28 with humility and a deep sense of urgency to deliver a future-proofed world for us all. We live in a region where heat is extreme, water is scarce and food systems are fragile. And we also live in an ever-more interconnected world where the impacts of climate change anywhere will affect us everywhere. As hosts of COP28, we are guided by a single north star, keeping 1.5C within reach. We aim to do that with a four-part Action Agenda: fast-tracking a just and orderly energy transition, fixing climate finance, focusing on people, lives and livelihoods and underpinning everything with full inclusivity. We must now seize the opportunity of COP28 to unite the world and act together to deliver actionable solutions to the climate crisis.”
HE Razan Al Mubarak stated: “We need a whole-of-society approach to address climate change and drive a just systems transformation. This is why inclusion has been the cornerstone of the COP28 Presidency. In my role, I’ve been focusing on raising the profile of inclusion and nature in order to deliver on this goal. I have been engaging with businesses, investors, cities, regions and civil society to ensure they are a part of the dialogues and shaping the solutions. I have also been advocating for and mobilizing nature-positive climate action. While we are seeing closer alignment between the climate and nature agenda, we urgently need to scale implementation. COP28 will be a pivotal moment to elevate nature as a critical lever to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.”
The session was followed by a Climate Start-up Majlis which saw a line-up of entrepreneurs and business leaders present future-focused technologies including effective waste management solutions, innovations within smart farming and agri-tech methodology, moderated by Faisal Kazim, of ‘The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution UAE’ (C4IR).
The Climate Startup Majlis featured Dr. Saeed Al Khazraji, Professor at Khalifa University and Founder of Manhat, Lamis Al Hashimy, Co-Founder of Palmade, Dr. Josef Schmidhuber, Chief Sustainability Office of Pure Harvest, Rabih Elchaar, Co-Founder of Nadeera, Onur Elgun, Co-Founder of CarbonSifir, whilst Lara Hussein was joined by Ceylan Uren, Co-Founders and Soil Builders at The Waste Lab. Entrepreneurs shared effective solutions to accelerate climate resilience including new technology bolstering climate progress and presented innovation solutions within smart farming, sustainable production and zero waste technology.
Climate Future Week took place as the country counts down to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Conference of the Parties (COP28), hosted in Dubai this forthcoming November. Aiming to identify new frameworks for driving climate action and bolstering sustainability efforts, Climate Future Week showcased new technologies and innovations supporting the climate transition. Following the event, a whitepaper exploring strategies to bolster climate resilience and the effective utilization of new futureproofing technologies will be produced by the Museum of the Future in collaboration with Fiker Institute.
The final day of Climate Future Week concluded with an immersive workshop session on ‘Eco-poetry and Writing Nature’ hosted by Shamma Al Bastaki, Emirati Artist and Poet, sharing a powerful call to action.
Climate Future Week’s commitment gains a particular significance as COP28 approaches, where global discussions on the future of climate change will be hosted in Dubai. COP28 will be hosted at Expo City, Dubai, from 30 November to 12 December. This endeavor further solidifies the UAE’s status as a hub for crucial global dialogues that impact our present day as well as future challenges and opportunities.