Under the patronage of His Excellency the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Hussein Al-Shahristani, and in the presence of Professor Dr. Amin Dawai Thamer, President of the University of Technology, the Environmental Research Center at the University of Technology organized the second international scientific conference entitled (Environment and Sustainable Development) for the period from 28-29/10/2015 in the hall of the late Ibrahim Al-Jawadi in the Department of Applied Sciences at the university, in the presence of the representative of His Excellency the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Professor Fuad Qasim, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Higher Education for Scientific Research Affairs, and a number of heads of scientific and engineering departments and university lecturers.
The conference began with a recitation of verses from the Holy Quran by reciter Abbas Murtadha. Surat Al-Fatihah was then recited for the souls of Iraq’s martyrs. The President of the University of Technology then delivered a speech in which he stated, “It is necessary to recognize that the environment is the universe created by God Almighty, and that it contains signs and clear proofs, and that it contains life and death, which are a form of sustainability. The process of sustainability is present in all aspects of life.” The President of the University called for concerted efforts by government institutions to create a clean environment free of industrial pollutants.
Professor Abdul Hamid Muhammad Jawad, Director of the Environmental Research Center at the University of Technology, explained that the conference focused on three themes: environmental pollution, environmental management, and sustainable development.
It included 39 solid scientific research papers with the participation of scientific and academic figures from various universities and specialized institutions.
Then the first opening session began, chaired by Prof. Dr. Riyadh Hassan Al-Anbari and Asst. Dr. Saleh Abdul-Ridha Al-Saleh as rapporteur. The opening lecture, titled “Global Environmental Performance Indicators,” was delivered by Prof. Dr. Ali Abdul-Zahra Al-Lami, former advisor to the Ministry of Environment.
The academic sessions on the first day were divided between the Green Hall and the Blue Hall, and included six lectures in the Green Hall, chaired by Prof. Dr. Fikrat Majeed Hassan and Asst. Prof. Dr. Saadi Mohammed Taher as rapporteur.
The Blue Hall lectures on the first day, chaired by Prof. Dr. Shaker Ahmed Saleh and Asst. Prof. Dr. Sahar Ahmed Amin as rapporteur, included six lectures.
The conference concluded with a closing session, with participants presenting a number of recommendations, including:
1. Establishing a unit within the Environmental Research Center at the University of Technology to build an Iraqi environmental information database and make it available to all on the center’s website.
2. Striving to implement sustainable production concepts to reduce industrial waste, in particular, and manage it properly, as well as raising awareness and providing guidance in this regard.
3. Adopting environmental management systems in various project applications, particularly residential projects, by adopting indicators of sustainable, low-cost, high-quality housing and using local construction materials after quality control as a smart growth strategy in housing projects to achieve sustainability.
4. Studying the National Environmental Performance Index and directing graduate students and researchers to focus on this index and its considerations as essential research areas. Based on this perspective, the research trends of various government institutions will be adopted within the research plans of higher education and scientific research institutions and implemented practically.
5. Utilizing available audio, print, and visual media to broadcast and issue environmental awareness programs at the community level, and promoting a culture of environmental awareness by implementing environmental legislation.
6. The necessity of including environmental vocabulary in all curricula at all educational levels and disciplines, and implementing this in a manner acceptable to students regardless of their learning levels.