Sharjah24: In the lead up to COP28 taking place later this month in the UAE, environmentalists have discussed the need for changing mindsets about reducing carbon footprints at the 42nd Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2023). Panellists Fatima Rashid Al Hantoubi, Farah Naz, and Muralee Thummarukudy explored the captivating relationship between nature, climate change, and the critical importance of preserving our natural world.

The discussion, moderated by Nadia Swan, had the nature advocates weighing the probability of achieving net zero emissions. Fatima Al Hantoubi, head of the Environment and Natural Reserves Department at the Fujairah Environment Authority and a lecturer in environmental sciences at the University of Fujairah and Ajman University, replied: “We are making policies to encourage industries to adopt nature-based solutions to protect the environment and thus avoid too much emissions. Despite being an industrial country with a lot of oil companies, our government has made a priority to reduce CO2 emissions,” the award-winning engineer and author of books such as Sustainable Development Goals stated. She added that net zero only means near zero and not actual zero. 

Farah Naz, an award-winning climate change strategist and author of Net Zero City, said “we all must become quite responsible in our consumerism”. Farah, who has supported several iconic projects in the UAE including the Museum of the Future, Louvre Abu Dhabi, BEEAH Group HQ in Sharjah and the Expo 2020 TERRA Sustainability Pavilion to achieve their sustainability goals, added: “Mindset shift is very important. Climate funding and climate technology needs to be aligned to create the business model for the shift.” 

She described her efforts in building UAE landmarks in a sustainable way and how mindset changes helped in a big way. “There should be a little bit of risk, if you are always risk averse you wouldn't be in this scenario. A vision is also important.” added Farah who has 20 years’ experience in the built environment in the US, UK, Southeast Asia and most recently the UAE. She said she wrote the book during Covid at a time when she was working with a lot of clients including Neom in Saudi Arabia. “I always start with a visioning workshop so that I know the temperature of their understanding of sustainability.”

Dr. Muralee Thummarukudy, an internationally renowned expert in disaster response and former chief of the Disasters and Conflicts Programme at the United Nations Environment Programme, said “nature can be used as a buffer against disasters and there is now a conscious approach to find green solutions for disasters as against grey solutions which were used earlier”. He cited cases in Indonesia, Japan and Sri Lanka where mangroves, trees and sand dunes respectively saved villages during the 2004 tsunami.

The social media influencer also opined that the mindset has to change about consumption. “The more consciously you consume, the less damage to the environment. Population is no longer the cause as it has stabilised in most parts of the world. I always urge people to look at the nature of their actions individually as well as institutionally and see how they can influence nature protection,” Thummarukudy suggested.

The global management expert noted how the present generation is disconnected from nature, and how there can be “nature laboratories” in schools. “Every school could make their entire campus a learning instrument - to learn about change in weather, nature, restoration and so on. You could have your own Miyawaki forest in a small plot of land, and the game will change if 10 million such schools join in the effort.” 

Regarding the power of social media in promoting sustainable development goals, Al Hantoubi said she was active on social media to promote environmental vigilance. “I believe disseminating environmental awareness is the best way.” Thummarukudy agreed that it was a powerful tool but there was also a tremendous amount of misinformation especially on climate change; hence it was important to stay there and fight. He acknowledged that by segmenting social media, the desired audience can be reached much quicker than through traditional media.