Pardee Center Director Speaks at International Development Conference at Harvard

Prof. Adil Najam, the Director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future and Professor of International Relations and Geography and Environment at Boston University was one of the panelists at the 16th Annual International Development Conference at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University on April 9, 2010. Prof. Najam spoke on one of the two opening panels on “Sustainable Solutions for Development” focussing on the development aspects of post-Copenhagen climate policy.

In his remarks, Prof. Najam stressed that we have moved into the era of “sustainable development” from one of “environment” and it is now imperative for environmentalists to take development more seriously and put it at the very center of the policy enterprise. In particular, he pointed out that the need for climate adaptation is bringing the issues of poverty and the poorest communities into the spotlight and unless we realign development policy our development as well as out climatic challenges will only compound.

The panel was moderated by Harvard’s Prof. Robert Stavins and also included Dr. Denny Ellerman from MIT and Dr. Gernot Wagner from the Environmental Defense Fund.