World Expo 2020 Dubai is an opportunity for every country in the world to display what they are proud of and celebrate their achievements. I was fortunate enough to be selected as a member of a delegation representing Tufts and IGL at Expo 2020. Sustainability was a huge theme of the Expo and focusing on the engineering solutions that other countries were putting their efforts into was an illuminating experience.
There were various topics that showed themselves to be a constant across many countries. The first being renewable energy. Many countries, including Morocco, Sweden, and Finland were sure to brag about their renewable energy abilities and projects for the future.
Another topic was the improvement of the current energy infrastructure and use of smart grids and smart cities. This was a huge topic across dozens of countries including Denmark, Germany, China, and many others. Many countries acknowledged this as the logical next step in urbanization.
Countries also shared plenty of other engineering innovations to help with sustainability. Examples include the electric public transportation of Costa Rica, the carbon capture technology of the United Arab Emirates, and the sustainable farming in France.
Overall, when tackling a problem as massive and complex as climate change, it is important to collaborate with other communities and countries to effectively work towards a solution. My experience at the Expo has been fantastic, and it helped me to see what work is being done towards a sustainable future, and where progress still needs to be made.