World's climate change expert calls on Arab leaders to build sustainable future at Beirut conference

"A well-designed solar power station can generate between 3,000 and 5,000-megawatts; just ten of these in the region and that gives you all the energy you need," says Pachauri, ahead of a regional sustainability conference, organized by the Yale Arab Alumni Association (YAAA) at the American University of Beirut on October 2-3, 2009.

Dr. Pachauri adds that, despite the possibilities of building a sustainable regional future, "recent developments [in the Arab region] have ignored some of the principles of sustainability, based on the scarcity of natural resources, such as water, healthy soil and forest cover."

"Water scarcity is going to get much worse," he says. "You certainly won't be able to desalinate your water for golf courses and ski resorts."

The world's climate change expert will be delivering an exclusive video address to a crowd of international experts and leaders who are meeting this weekend to discuss the sustainability of cities across the Arab Middle East.

"Rapid urbanization across the region has strained age-old Arab cities, and simultaneously led to the creation of completely new urban landscapes,"

according to the Yale Arab Alumni Association conference organizers.

"This diversity of experience creates opportunities for cross-fertilization and allows us to derive best practices for urban sustainability."

The conference boasts more than 30 renowned experts and practitioners from around the globe and seeks to raise public awareness of the issues of urban sustainability. It will discuss the need for a comprehensive approach to sustainability and for long-term investment strategies in urban planning, education, culture, infrastructure, and the environment.