Neeshad Shafi

Neeshad is an environmentalist, speaker, and policy-oriented social change advocate, best known for his work on environmental and climate change education, advocacy, and policy in the Gulf region. His core areas of expertise include global environmental politics, sustainability, and climate policies. An active civil society member from the Gulf, he has been a prominent presence at international climate summits, especially UNFCCC’S climate summits since 2015 in various capacities. In March 2019, he was named in the Apolitical’s List of the 100 Most Influential People in Climate Policy 2019.

Neeshad is currently the Co-founder & Executive Director at the Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar, a registered, independent, non-profit environmental association in Qatar. He is a Board Member at Climate Action Network (CAN) Arab World and CoalitionWILD. He is on the steering committee of UNESCO Youth Climate Action Network (YoU-CAN) and is a UNEP Youth Regional Facilitator for the Middle East. He is also a Global Shaper and agenda contributor with the World Economic Forum, as well as a TEDx speaker.

His articles and interviews on various topic related to climate change impacts in the Middle East, decarbonization in the Gulf, energy transition, sustainability, and role of youth and civil society for climate action have appeared in Al Jazeera, BBC, France24, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Wired Italia, Anadolu Agency, The Gulf Times, Qatar Tribune, Qatar Today, Peninsula Qatar, and others.

Neeshad holds a bachelor’s degree in bio-engineering and master’s degree in energy and environmental engineering.

The Latest from Neeshad Shafi

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Charting the climate course: Concrete outcomes and expectations from COP28

COP28 in Dubai carries a weighty set of expectations as the international community grapples with the urgent need to address the escalating climate crisis. It is anticipated to be a pivotal moment in the collective effort to mitigate climate change and adapt to its impacts.

Photo by Mohamed Abdel Hamid/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Expert Views: Reflections on COP27

With COP27 concluded, we asked experts from across MEI, some of whom attended the meeting, to offer their perspectives on the developments that came out of the conference and what it means moving forward, especially for the Middle East and North Africa.

Photo by Antoine Gyori/Corbis via Getty Images

How the Ukraine war exposed Europe’s derailed energy transition and its hypocrisy toward the Middle East

With energy security becoming a top priority, the sudden need to find new sources of hydrocarbons dampened Europe’s and the United States’ previously pledged resolve to address climate change and greenhouse gas emissions.

Photo by John Minchillo - Pool/Getty Images

Expert Views: The UN, climate, and security

On Dec. 13, 2021, at a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting, a draft resolution that would have recognized climate change as a security threat was rejected. The resolution, co-sponsored by Niger and Ireland, would have incorporated climate change as a security risk within the U.N. framework of conflict prevention strategies. What are the potential implications of this and what comes next? We asked seven experts to weigh in with their thoughts.

Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images

As UN climate summit returns to the Middle East, Arab youth fear a lack of representation and opportunities

It’s worth considering how youth in the Arab region have fared and are expected to fare in terms of climate activism. While this has historically been excellent, there are some disparities masked by the glossy big picture in the global climate movement.