A panel discussion on the opportunities and challenges of digital technologies to combat climate change was organised at American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) on 6 June.
The event was jointly organised by Science, Technology, Innovation & Public Policy Forum (STIPPF) and AIUB.
The panel discussion featured members from different sectors including policy makers, industry experts, diplomats, and academia. Saber Hossain Chowdhury, MP & chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change; His Charles Whiteley, ambassador & head of Delegation of the European Union in Bangladesh; Ishtiaque Abedin, founder member and chairman, Board of Trustees, AIUB, Dr. A.F.M. Saiful Amin, professor, Department of Civil Engineering, BUET & acting chair of BAETE, IEB and Md. Sazzadul Hassan, chairman and MD, BASF Bangladesh Limited, were present at the panel discussion.
His Riaz Hamidullah, ambassador of Bangladesh in the Netherlands, was also present online. Panellists discussed the role of digital technologies in combating climate change both from Bangladesh and the broader global context. All the panellists agreed that digital technologies can potentially unlock innovative solutions to complex development challenges brought by climate change.
The session was moderated by Dr. Muhammad Tarik Arafat, professor and head, Department of Biomedical Engineering, BUET and Member, STIPPF.
STIPPF is a non-profit think tank, wants to promote such discussions, to harness the nexus between science, technology, innovation, and public policy. Prior to the panel discussion, a European Mock Parliament Debate session was organised on the Corporate Sustainability: Due Diligence Directive.
The debate session was moderated by M Nakibur Rahman, country head of Sandoz. 27 participants from more than 10 debating clubs of different universities participated in the debate session.
The vote of thanks for the event was given by Prof. Dr. Md. Abdur Rahman, pro-vice chancellor, AIUB. The event has been supported by the faculty of engineering along with AIUB Oratory Club (AOC) and AIUB Community of Engineering Students (ACES).