NYU Abu Dhabi Institute initiates discussion on climate change and carbon emissions

Tyler Volk, professor of biology at NYU and science director for the NYU Environmental Studies Program, and Anne Rademacher, assistant professor of environmental studies and metropolitan studies at NYU, were in Abu Dhabi to engage the community in a conversation about the natural carbon cycle, the effects of human-induced fossil fuel carbon emissions and the potential impact of alternative energy sources.

Volk, who authored the book CO2 Rising, pointed out during the discussion that CO2 emissions are tied to trends in the global economy.

"Wealth is energy, and energy today involves mostly fossil fuels," Volk said. "The poor use little energy and produce very little in carbon emissions."

CO2 waste spreads throughout the earth's atmosphere no matter where those emissions originated, so countries that have had almost no influence on the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are experiencing the same greenhouse effect as those countries that have been major CO2 emitters, he added.

"It's not a local pollutant; there are massive geopolitical implications. Ideally, the developed nations that have emitted the most carbon dioxide have to shoulder the bulk of responsibility," he said in reference to the upcoming UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen in December.

The lecture was part of a series of public events organized by the NYUAD Institute in an effort to provide an open forum for dialogue and exchange of ideas within the Abu Dhabi community. The NYUAD Institute was founded in 2008 and began its second year of programming in September. The fall program has included lectures and panel discussions on subjects such as the Yas Island development project, conservation of Islamic heritage sites and medieval Islamic art.

Philip Kennedy, Faculty Director of the NYUAD Institute and Associate Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at NYU, said, "The community response to NYUAD Institute events has exceeded all our expectations. Audience members at every lecture have been engaged and informed about a range of scholarly and academic topics."

NYUAD Institute's next event, a conference titled "Teaching the Ancient World," will be held on November 23-24 and is open to the public.