Nations need to “think out-of-the-box” and put research, development and innovation at the centre of their efforts to tackle climate change, a leading United Nations official has emphasised during a visit to Qatar Foundation (QF). 
Ovais Sarmad, deputy executive secretary of the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change, was given an insight into how Qatar Science & Technology Park, part of Qatar Foundation Research, Development and Innovation, drives technology development and entrepreneurship, while in Doha.
“We tend to be linear in the way we think about addressing problems related to climate change – we need to think about the power of Artificial Intelligence, technology and innovation, really push the borders, and think out of the box in how we think of solutions to such an existential problem as global warming,” he said. Sarmad added, “At the UN, we are doing what we call ‘Resilience Frontiers’, where we use the principle of backcasting – projecting the problems that will exist in 15 or 20 years, looking at their implications and trying to figure out solutions for problems that don’t yet exist.
“This inspires us to look at the most creative solutions to tomorrow’s problems. Research, development and innovation is key to addressing climate change.”