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ABU DHABI / WAM
His Highness Lt General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, attended the latest Majlis Mohamed bin Zayed lecture, titled ‘Advancing Technologies for a Climate Resilient Future’.
The lecture was presented by Dr Sharron McPherson, a strategic advisor to governments and corporations and a ‘social impact’ entrepreneur with a focus on green infrastructure, renewable energy and food security.
Dr McPherson’s talk began by referencing the UAE’s hosting of COP28, which, she said, comes at a pivotal time for humanity. She talked of the key role being played by the UAE in convening a meeting of the countries of the world and facilitating collaboration to address the challenges of climate change.
Dr McPherson then drew on some of her own personal experience as a former Wall Street banker working on complex energy and infrastructure deals, to discuss the importance of involving all stakeholders — especially the community — in decisions that could have wide-ranging impacts.
She referenced how this resonates with the UAE’s view on the importance of promoting economic and social development for all.
The talk went on to discuss the definition of resilience, and how it is more crucial now than ever before. Dr McPherson described the importance of building bridges between industry and the community to unlock capital and spur investment, which then reinforces resilience to address the impacts of climate change. She commented that the UAE’s pragmatic approach to addressing climate change is anchored in resilience.
Dr McPherson then discussed the role of advancing technologies in measuring and driving resilience in some of the most vulnerable communities on earth.
She spoke of how artificial intelligence and space technology will become central to this process, saying that we will be increasingly going to space to determine what’s happening on planet earth.
Touching on a theme that ran throughout the lecture, she ended by saying that technology alone will not ensure our ability to be resilient, as it cannot be done without empathy and human connection.
The lecture will be broadcast on May 27 at 4pm on local TV networks and will be available to watch afterwards on the Majlis Mohamed bin Zayed YouTube channel (youtube.com/@MajlisMohamedbinZayed).