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Programme for People and Planet

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Part of Expo City Dubai's Programme for People and Planet, Connecting Minds Book Club harnesses the power of books to spark dialogue and build communities of change.

The series was inspired by literature’s unique ability to illuminate and humanise circumstances that may feel abstract or unfamiliar, enabling a profound and compassionate engagement with complex issues such as climate change.

Connecting Minds Book Club invites book-lovers to attend fireside chats with celebrated authors from around the world who are telling powerful stories to galvanise awareness and action for our changing climate. Moderated by leading cultural figures, conversations conclude with an audience Q&A and book signing.

Event highlights

At Connecting Minds Book Club sessions , audience members have the opportunity to engage directly with the authors during Q&As and book signings

Connecting Minds Book Club with Sandra Piesik

Cities are responsible for more than 70 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, with our built environment a key contributor, according to the UN Environment Programme. How, then, do we design and build our spaces of shelter in ways that heal, rather than harm, our planet? This urgent question was explored in-depth by award-winning architect, author, scientist and UNFCCC advisor Dr Sandra Piesik at our September 2023 Connecting Minds Book Club event. Drawing from her book Habitat: Vernacular Architecture for a Changing Climate, Dr Piesik shared insights on what the traditions of vernacular architecture and its regional craftspeople around the world can teach us about creating a more sustainable future.

Connecting Minds Book Club @ COP28 with Jeffrey Sachs

At our special edition of Connecting Minds Book Club, held during COP28, we heard from world-renowned economist and UN advisor Jeffrey D. Sachs.

A pre-eminent voice in sustainable development, Sachs discussed his book The Ages of Globalization: Geography, Technology and Institutions with Emirati author and COP28 Advisory Committee member Dubai Abulhoul. A breathtaking journey through world history’s defining moments, the book shows how today’s most urgent challenges call for planet-wide action.

Connecting Minds Book Club with Ben Okri

We were honoured to be joined by Ben Okri for our debut event, at which the Booker Prize-winner launched Tiger Work, his climate-themed collection of poems, essays and short stories. In an intimate conversation with Ahlam Bolooki, Director of Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, the author addressed the role of storytelling in the climate conversation and how we can move people from awareness to agency and action through the power of art and literature.