AUS COP28

The UAE Climate Envoy to COP28 has invited AUS to be a part of the COP28 University Taskforce, allowing representatives from AUS to inform key debates on climate change.

COP (Conference of the Parties) is an international climate conference held each year by the United Nations. This year’s conference is being held in Dubai from November 30 to December 12. With world leaders and global scientific experts in attendance at COP28 to discuss how climate change can best be addressed, it is a great honor for AUS to be a part of a taskforce that is having such a direct and positive impact on some of our world's greatest challenges.

Because tomorrow matters.

Speaker Series

We will be hosting influential speakers from around the globe who are experts in sustainability and climate change action. Come along and be inspired by people that have dedicated their lives to climate action and whose work will have a genuine and positive impact on the future of the Earth.

Student-Focused Events

Throughout the course of 2023, we will be running a number of student-focused events that encourage students from AUS and other universities to engage in important climate-related discussions. This will allow students to develop their knowledge around key climate action issues as well as their confidence when partaking in public events.

Research Dissemination

AUS faculty and students are engaged in far-reaching research projects that are tackling environmental challenges head-on. From more sustainable hydrogen generation to saving fragile mangrove ecosystems, AUS research is helping protect the environment for future generations. We will be showcasing this research to the public as we prepare for COP28.

February 15

AUS COP28 Speaker Series: "National Carbon Emissions Modelling", Muwaffaq Al Khedery.

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February 27

AUS COP28 Speaker Series: "The Air We Breath", Dr Claire Bridgwater.

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March 21

Higher Education Climate Dialogues Conference.

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April 5

AUS COP28 Speaker Series: "Sustainability in the Augmented World", Dr. Slim Saidi.

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A member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), AUS is one of the top five institutions worldwide for community engagement in sustainability, according to AASHE’s 2022 Sustainable Campus Index. In 2018, AUS was the first university in the MENA region, and, at the time, only the fourth university outside of North America, to achieve an AASHE STARS sustainability rating. In 2021, AUS earned a STARS Silver rating, making it the highest rated university in the GCC region at the time. Read more

AUS has launched its first comprehensive Climate Action Plan with the goal to reduce the university’s carbon emissions. The plan further aligns the university’s sustainability efforts with the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative. The UAE’s strategic initiative is a national drive to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, making the UAE the first country in MENA to do so. The strategy aligns with the Paris Agreement and the UAE’s roadmap for the next 50 years for accelerating national economic development. Read more

Our Engineering and Sciences Building has achieved 2 Pearl ESTIDAMA Certification. All classrooms, laboratories and offices are illuminated throughout the day using natural light and an outdoor thermal comfort strategy is in place for the building’s surrounds, with landscaping and carefully selected planting providing shade and temperature control. In addition, the building features a system for recycling condensate water from its air conditioning, reusing 1.2 liters of water per second. Non-polluting, eco-friendly and recycled materials are used throughout. Read more

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A passion for climate change advocacy has seen AUS student Manal Nadeem, selected to represent the UAE at COP28 as part of the UAE Youth Climate Delegate Program (YCDP).

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Jad Louis 2

Making a difference in the world has been a goal AUS alumnus Jad Louis was hoping to achieve in his career. This goal was realized when he became Project Lead on the construction of Bee’ah Headquarters in Sharjah, a net-zero icon for sustainability in the UAE.

Learn more.

Sarah Ehab 2

As influential citizens and leaders of tomorrow, AUS alumni are actively contributing to the development of their communities around the world. AUS alumna Sarah Ehab Abdelkader’s dedication to developing an on-site sustainable agricultural wastewater treatment unit has recently won her the L’Oréal UNESCO Young Scientists Award.

Learn more.

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Researchers in the AUS College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Physics have developed a novel method employing state-of-the-art femtosecond laser technology to improve the hydrogen generation efficiency of copper electrodes when their surface is processed with an intense femtosecond laser. Learn more.

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Climate change challenges have led Faysal Tabbarah, Associate Professor in the Department of Architecture, to explore the new avenue of “architect as material developer” in devising sustainable materials for construction. In researching, prototyping and analyzing the architectural potential of recyclable, environmentally friendly, sprayable, fibrous materials, he used pulped paper from old newspapers as a material for building construction beyond its typical usage as insulation. Learn more.

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The release of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the atmosphere is now known to cause atmospheric degradation, leading researchers worldwide to urgently seek ways in which to mitigate its effect on global warming and, ultimately, climate change. Since 2012, Dr. Oussama El-Kadri from the AUS Department of Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Sciences has been successful in his investigation of porous organic polymers in the capture and storage of CO₂ and other hazardous emissions. Learn more.

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Harsh desert conditions led environmental scientists of the Sharjah Environment and Protected Areas Authority (SEPAA) to commission AUS to design and build a shelter in which they could work comfortably. The resulting “Neonomad” desert shelter and research station by faculty members and students went on to win an international award. Learn more.

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Students at American University of Sharjah (AUS) collaborated with their peers from Haverford College and Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, USA, in a virtual exchange project aimed towards transforming their local and global contexts into more sustainable communities in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Learn more.

carlow_1-1 High-rise residential buildings in the Gulf region require a high standard of energy efficiency due to the unforgiving desert climate. Jason Carlow, Associate Professor from the Department of Architecture, is currently researching how improving the environmental performance levels of façade systems would lower overall energy consumption. Learn more.

AUS: Sustainability in Action

#AUSCOP28

The UAE Climate Envoy to COP28 has invited AUS to be a part of the COP28 University Taskforce, allowing representatives from AUS to inform key debates on climate change.

Because tomorrow matters.

What to expect

AUS will play an influential role at COP28 itself, taking part in discussions and exhibiting at the event. In addition, in the months running up to the event, the university will be hosting a number of events and initiatives that are relevant to the COP28 agenda. Here is a snapshot.

Be sure to keep coming back to this page as it will be regularly updated so that you can see everything happening at AUS related to COP28.

Speaker Series

Student-Focused Events

Research Dissemination

Climate Coffee Podcast

Calendar of events

AUS Sustainability Achievements

AUS has fostered a reputation for being one of the region's most sustainable universities. Here are just a few reasons why.

Student and Alumni Spotlights

AUS students and alumni are front and center of climate action in the UAE and abroad. Discover how our students' passion for the environment is being translated into positive outcomes.

AUS research: climate action in progress

AUS researchers and students are having an impact. Finding solutions that will mitigate the impact of climate change is a focus of many research projects currently underway at AUS.

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