By: Shehneela Mazhar
From sweeping floods across Pakistan to devastating wildfires in California, climate change continues to advance, weaving its way throughout daily lives.
“There are nearly two billion people in the world whose lives have been affected by climate change. The challenge is in front of us. It’s right outside our window,” says Dr. Adil Najam, a global policy expert and International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) ExchangeAlumni who is stepping into the role of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) President.
But all is not lost. Dr. Najam believes that people understand the gravity of the climate crisis, and the challenge now isn’t convincing people that something ought to be done – it’s about empowering them to take accountability.
“There’s a lot of despair – we understand the gravity – but I hope we can take the energy of the anger and turn it into action,” he says.
It has become a personal mission of Dr. Najam – throughout his tenure as a longtime WWF board member, as the inaugural dean of the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, and with his most recent appointment as WWF President. By stressing the urgency surrounding the current climate crisis, he hopes to help position the issue as a present-day challenge we can collectively work toward addressing.
This involves looking at the role we, as individuals, play – while Dr. Najam is sure to not overlook the role of business and government, he acknowledges it’s a multi-faceted effort that requires us, as consumers, to lead first.
For example, we can decide not to drive ourselves, but if we instead decide to take an Uber, “those emissions are not the Uber driver’s, but still ours.” By being conscious of the impact of such decisions, Dr. Najam explains, we can show business and institutions we are ready to make a change – and when business and institutions see this consumer behavior change, they will be encouraged to take action.
Dr. Najam completed his IVLP in the early 1990s, during the height of his career. With his prior experience in Pakistan, the IVLP exchange gave him a chance to study democracy and elections in the United States as he traveled to numerous states and met a slew of interesting people, including then-governor of Arkansas, President Bill Clinton.
What was most rewarding, he says, was being exposed to the value of networking and community. Since his exchange, he’s met with numerous IVLP groups who have come through Boston, and he’s had the chance to continue to learn from these exchange participants. He sees the power of exchange in “meeting people, seeing their work in action, and then translating this work into a personal context.”
Additionally, as a former journalist, Dr. Najam says some of the most valuable life lessons he’s gained have been through people – during unexpected conversations on a bus ride, for example, or other spontaneous moments.
On his recent appointment as WWF President, Dr. Najam says he is humbled, adding that he hopes “to leave the planet no worse than when I came into it, and hopefully better.”
Dr. Najam steps into his new role as WWF President July 1, 2023.
