Latest / DEWA Podcasts / DEWA’s Sustainability and Innovation Centre hosts panel discussion at Emirates Airline Festival of Literature

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DEWA’s Sustainability and Innovation Centre hosts panel discussion at Emirates Airline Festival of Literature · DEWA Podcasts

• 0:00
  So as the curtain falls on the 18th Emirates
• 0:03
  Airline Festival of Literature, I mean, you know,
• 0:06
  one of the most compelling stories, I think,
• 0:08
  is this powerful intersection of culture and
• 0:11
  climate action. Absolutely. And right at the
• 0:14
  heart of that story, you've got the Dubai Electricity
• 0:17
  and Water Authority, or DIWA. Oh, DIWA. Which
• 0:21
  just marked a full decade as the festival's sustainability
• 0:24
  partner. Wow, 10 years. That is a serious commitment.
• 0:29
  It really is. I mean, it moves so far beyond
• 0:32
  just, you know, simple sponsorship, right? Especially
• 0:35
  for an event held under the patronage of His
• 0:37
  Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
• 0:40
  It's about deeply integrating sustainability
• 0:42
  right into the cultural fabric. And the vision
• 0:45
  for it was laid out perfectly by His Excellency
• 0:48
  Saeed Mohammed Al -Tayyar, the MD and CEO of
• 0:51
  Diwa. Okay, so what did he say? Well, he stated,
• 0:55
  for the 10th consecutive year, Diwa continues
• 0:57
  to support the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
• 1:00
  as a sustainability partner. He goes on, in line
• 1:04
  with our efforts to strengthen the UAE's position
• 1:07
  as a content, culture, and knowledge hub, we
• 1:10
  support inspiring knowledge and education -driven
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  events that nurture a love for reading as a key
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  driver of progress, human development, and a
• 1:18
  brighter and greener future. That connection
• 1:21
  he makes, you know, between a love for reading
• 1:24
  and creating a greener future. That is just fantastic.
• 1:27
  It is. And he added, furthermore, we are committed
• 1:31
  to raising awareness about effective strategies
• 1:33
  to mitigate the impact of climate change. Right.
• 1:37
  Actively involving all segments of society in
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  advancing sustainability initiatives and promoting
• 1:42
  the adoption of a responsible and eco -friendly
• 1:45
  lifestyle. So it's not just talk. Not at all.
• 1:49
  And they made that commitment tangible. They
• 1:51
  hosted a panel discussion called Hope in the
• 1:54
  Climate Crisis with author Dr. Thomas Doherty.
• 1:56
  But it's where they held it that truly made the
• 1:59
  statement, right? This wasn't in some, like,
• 2:02
  generic conference room. Not at all. They brought
• 2:05
  everyone right to the front lines of innovation,
• 2:08
  Diwa Sustainability and Innovation Center. Wow.
• 2:11
  And that's located right at the Mohammed bin
• 2:14
  Rashid al -Maktoum Solar Park. So you have this
• 2:17
  audience of, what, schoolchildren and university
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  students, and they aren't just listening to a
• 2:22
  talk. They were literally standing inside the
• 2:25
  solution. Completely. After the discussion, they
• 2:28
  were taken on an educational tour of the center,
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  experiencing everything from interactive exhibits
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  and hologram shows to a metaverse tour of the
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  entire solar park. Inspired. That is such a crucial
• 2:41
  step. It connects the why we need to act, you
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  know, from the panel with the how we can actually
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  do it. It just, it makes hope feel real. Exactly.
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  It's a perfect example of bridging the world
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  of ideas from a literature festival with the
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  world of real, tangible innovation. So that brings
• 2:59
  us to a question for everyone listening. How
• 3:02
  can more of our cultural institutions, you know,
• 3:04
  from festivals to museums, how can they create
• 3:07
  these kinds of immersive experiences to drive
• 3:10
  real engagement with society's biggest challenges?