Dr. Karim Ahmed
director of international programs at the National Council for Science and the Environment

Dr. Karim Ahmed, director of international programs at the National Council for Science and the Environment in Washington, D.C., paid a special visit to Masjid Al Salaam (Burnaby Mosque) September 30 while on a State Department-sponsored cross-country speaking tour on climate change. Dr. Ahmed is an expert on the impacts of climate change on human health.

Dr. Ahmed worked with Prof. John Haught of Georgetown University to establish the Georgetown Center for the Study of Science and Religion in 1996 to foster inter-religious dialogue on issues related to scientific discoveries and applications within the context of major religious traditions. A Sunni Muslim, Dr. Ahmed agreed to deviate from his climate change topic to give a special talk on Islam and Science at the Burnaby Mosque. This was a launch event for Islamic History Month in British Columbia...

Between the 7th and 15th centuries, Dr. Ahmed said the Muslim world was key in the development of trigonometry, algebra, legal systems, libraries, and discoveries related to astronomy and chemistry. “Islam and science are completely compatible.” Every developing country moving forward needs to emphasize basic science, he said.

October 1, Dr. Ahmed was guest lecturer at University of British Columbia’s School of Environmental Sciences.

He spoke on Climate Change and Global Warming: how serious will its impact be on human health? The talk was complemented by Prof. Evan Willis’ presentation on The Health Effects of Climate Change: a sociological perspective.

Dr. Ahmed described parts of the world which will become more arid, less agriculturally productive and plagued by more warm-weather hosted diseases. Prof. Willis, of La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, showed areas of Australia which have already become hotter, drier, more susceptible to fires and water shortages.