Dr. Samuel Mao of Khalifa University and Dr. Rasha Bayoumi of the University of Birmingham Dubai to Spearhead Climate Action and Sustainability Agendas
The UAE’s Universities Climate Network (UCN), a 33-member group, has announced the appointment of Khalifa University’s Dr. Samuel Mao and Dr. Rasha Bayoumi of the University of Birmingham Dubai as Co-Chairs, taking the UCN to the next stage of advancing climate action regionally and internationally, and promoting sustainability across the UAE’s academic sector.
An official handover ceremony organized at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) was attended by His Excellency Edward Hobart, the UK Ambassador to the UAE, His Excellency Ambassador Majid Al-Suwaidi, Director-General, COP28 UAE Presidency, Professor Sir John O’Reilly, President, Khalifa University, and other key stakeholders. Dr. Maya Haddad from Ajman University will be Head of Operations, UCN.
Her Excellency Razan Al Mubarak, UN Climate Change High Level Champion for COP28, said: “Universities play an integral role in supporting climate action. They provide the research, education and expertise to respond to the climate challenge, developing the solutions and capacity to reduce emissions and address the adaptation gap. With the appointments of Dr. Samuel Mao and Dr. Rasha Bayoumi in the UAE, I am delighted that UCN are building on their success at COP28 to take forward this agenda across the MENA region.”
His Excellency Edward Hobart, UK Ambassador to the UAE, said: “On behalf of the British Embassy, we congratulate and welcome Dr. Samuel Mao and Dr. Rasha Bayoumi on their co-chair appointment to the UAE’s Universities Climate Network. Together with the UK Universities Climate Network launched at COP26, the importance of our academic networks in advancing climate action is clear, whether it be youth engagement, research, innovation, collaboration, or education.”
Professor Sir John O’Reilly, President, Khalifa University, said: “We are delighted to take over the leadership of the Universities Climate Network (UCN), in partnership with Birmingham University Dubai, and take this initiative forward in the coming months. All sustainability-related activities have received significant momentum following the hosting of COP28 Summit in the UAE and the UCN will continue to pioneer local and regional initiatives that will benefit all key stakeholders, ensuring heightened awareness about the need to create a cleaner environment.”
To advance the climate change and sustainability agenda for 2024, the UCN aims to bring together universities in the UAE within their network by assessing their research capabilities and forming collaborative teams to address climate research challenges across various fields. As co-chair, Dr. Samuel Mao, Director, ASPIRE Virtual Research Institute for Sustainability and Professor of Practice, Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Khalifa University, in collaboration with the Higher Education Lead of the UNFCCC’s Climate Champions Team, is actively involved in planning an international event centered on climate action of the MENA region, scheduled for October 2024 in Abu Dhabi with Khalifa University as the local host. The planned event is expected to further expose Khalifa University’s cutting-edge climate change research and consistent commitment to sustainability, with the report to be presented at COP29 Baku, Azerbaijan, in November 2024.
Additionally, the UCN will promote sustainability practices on campuses across the UAE and foster youth participation through collaboration with organizations such as the UAE’s ‘Youth 4 Sustainability (Y4S)’ initiative, a Masdar outreach platform, strategically aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Abu Dhabi Vision 2030, and the UAE Centennial 2071 plan. With the support of the Higher Education Lead of the UN’s Climate Champions Team, the UCN will engage with global climate networks, promoting the achievements of the UAE and the wider MENA region in tackling climate change.
Dr. Samuel Mao and Dr. Rasha Bayoumi pointed out that a climate change event highlighting achievements of the MENA region, and a comprehensive survey of climate research capabilities of academic institutions in the UAE, would enable closer collaboration among universities by leveraging expertise in conducting and disseminating climate change research, and substantial engagement with stakeholders in the wider MENA region. They added that as co-chairs of the UCN, they will aim to collaborate with members in advancing climate research, driving policy innovation, and fostering sustainable development in the UAE and beyond.
The landmark appointment of Dr. Mao, as the UCN’s Co-Chair, was preceded by his role as Principal Investigator and Director of ASPIRE Virtual Research Institute for Sustainability (VRI-Sustainability), and Chair of the COP28 UAE Research Symposium titled ‘Innovations of Renewable Power Generation, Storage, and Utilization.’ In this symposium, five Khalifa University faculty members of the VRI-Sustainability presented research achievements of the institute. The audience included Dr. Mark Levine, leading author of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report that received a Nobel Peace Prize, and Dr. Rodrigo Martins, President of the European Academy of Sciences, and Dr. Neil Wilmshurst, Senior Vice President of Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).
The Higher Education Lead of UN’s Climate Champions Team is actively engaged in advising the UCN activities to support the Implementation Roadmap of the 2023 Climate Solutions, assists in planning of the 2024 climate change events in the UAE, and connects UCN to the global network of climate networks (NoN).
Alisha Roy
Science Writer
24 May 2024
