UAE | Environment
UAE takes part in unique global virtual debate on climate change
Gore and high-profile leaders appear as if they are in the same room thanks to technology.
- By Kevin Scott, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:54 March 20, 2008
Dubai: The UAE participated in a unique global debate on technology and climate change Wednesday night at Dubai Internet City.
The virtual panel discussion, hosted by Nobel laureate Al Gore, Cisco CEO John Chambers and Cisco Chief Marketing Officer Sue Bostrom, was simulcast to audiences around the world.
The debate was moderated by ITN correspondent Lawrence McGinty in London and shown to live audiences in Dubai, Paris and Warsaw, creating a unique experience in which participants virtually sat across the table from the high-profile leaders.
By using the latest teleconferencing technology, Gore, ex-US Vice-President, Chambers and Bostrom were able to appear as if they were in the same room, although they were actually thousands of kilometres apart, addressing multiple audiences simultaneously.
Dubai audience members gathered at the Cisco office for the hour-long debate at 7pm local time.
The event avoided the usage of approximately 4.2 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions based on calculations performed by DOMANI, a sustainability management consulting firm, and the University of California, San Diego. That is the amount of CO2 associated with the electricity use of one home for six months.
"No one company or innovation will have enough impact to reverse global climate change. However, the technology industry has a strategic opportunity to lead the charge in helping businesses lower their carbon footprint by embracing IT innovations," Gore said.
Taking steps
Chambers added everybody had a role to play in addressing the world's most pressing environmental challenges.
"At Cisco, we are taking steps to manage our own carbon footprint as well as creating technology solutions that are designed with the environment in mind," he said.
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