Climate Change and Muslim Societies
The Alwaleed Bin Talal Islamic Studies Program at Harvard University is proud to launch a series of events on Climate Change and Muslim Societies. Many parts of the world hardest hit by climate change are those with high Muslim populations. This series explores the implications of a changing climate in Muslim societies with experts from a range of academic disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, and practitioners in fields such as development and architecture. Through understanding the social, religious, economic, and political aspects of this complex challenge, we can better understand opportunities for individual and collective action, as well as reasons for hope.
In order to make this series accessible, most or all events will be held both in person and online via Zoom.
Chair: Gareth Doherty, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, Harvard Gradute School of Design
Spring 2025
African Landscape Architectures: Alternative Futures for the Field
March 6-7, 2025 | Gund Hall, Piper Auditorium, GSD
The African Landscape Architectures conference brings together a wide range of landscape practices from across the continent. This two-day hybrid event highlights the transformative potential of decolonizing design to address social injustices and prepare African cities for the impacts of climate change. Speakers will explore innovative strategies through frameworks such as ecology, adaptation, and materiality that offer alternative futures for African landscapes.
Landscape, Garden, and a Colonial Legacy
Tuesday, March 11, 2025 | 6:30-8pm | Piper Auditorium, Gund Hall, Harvard Graduate School of Design
Jala Makhzoumi, Adjunct Professor of Landscape Architecture, American University of Beirut
Co-sponsors: Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Aga Khan Program at the GSD
Spring 2023
Climate Change and Muslim Societies: Examples from Africa and Asia
Thursday, March 2, 2023 | 4-5:30pm | Sackler Lecture Hall
Elfatih Eltahir, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, MIT
Co-sponsors: Center for International Development at Harvard University and Harvard University Center for the Environment
Between Drought and Drowning: Lessons from the Maldives, Pakistan, and Sudan
Monday, March 27, 2023 | 4-5:30pm ET | Emerson 104
Erum Sattar, Former Program Director, M.S. in Sustainable Water Management and Water Diplomacy Track Leader, Tufts University
Co-sponsors: Center for International Development at Harvard University, Harvard University Center for the Environment, and Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute at Harvard University
