Professor Guy Midgley (Acting Director), Kerry-Anne Grey (Coordinator of Scientific Research) and Kay Murray and Yenziwe Mbuysia (Master's students) from Stellenbosch University's School for Climate Studies attended COP27 this year. Here are six of their key learnings.
1. South Africa leads several conversations.
As the only African member of the Global Alliance of Universities on Climate (GAUC), the delegation from our University, in collaboration with other South African entities present at the event, provided unique insights from South Africa at COP27 – particularly on GAUC Day. Mr Dhesigen Naidoo of the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) presented brand new perspectives on how we will sustainably achieve net zero by 2050, while Dr Christopher Trisos of the University of Cape Town's African Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI) presented on the Sixth Assessment Report of the Africa Chapter in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The message to GAUC members: South Africa has a solid plan on the table for their Just Energy Transition – and something significant to offer to the global conversation, backed by strong academic work.
2. Collaboration is key – and events like COP promote networking.
The School for Climate Studies was able to meet with many existing and potential partners, funders and collaborators, thereby strengthening existing relationships and forming promising new ones. The Network of University Networks (led by Cambridge University), in particular, offers an additional key, broadening beyond GAUC, to increased collaboration on climate issues between the world's universities in the years to come.
3. Students must be included and empowered to participate and contribute.
As the changemakers of tomorrow, young scientists can benefit from first-hand experience and insight into the processes and negotiations that take place at global climate change events. Not only can students provide a fresh perspective on major topics, but they can also begin to formulate ideas around how they can support future negotiations and play a leading role in the fight against climate change. Advance training, such as is offered by the GAUC Climate Change Ambassador course, is critical in preparing students to participate and contribute from a position of knowledge and understanding.
4. Academic institutions add value, but trans-disciplinarity is vital.
Universities can play a much larger role in the guidance of policymakers and negotiators, providing them with much-needed science-based insight and support. Rather than competing against each other, universities in South Africa could usefully embrace collaboration and consider how they can share research in order to increase their impact at – and the outcomes of – global events like COP. The most value will be derived from holistic, multi- and transdisciplinary approaches, as the challenges are complex and have many dimensions. Platforms such as the African Regional Forum on Climate, led by the School for Climate Studies, is an amazing space for academics and researchers to come together and formulate well-informed solutions.
5. Africa needs much stronger academic support for strengthened political representation.
As developing regions, each with their own unique challenges and solutions, African countries have the power to provide fresh perspectives on the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change. SU has been focusing on purposeful partnerships with colleagues across the African continent for more than 20 years, and SU International's SDG/2063 Impact Hub has been working very closely with the School for Climate Studies on various fronts. Armed with this knowledge and experience, the School was proud to lend a voice to the underrepresented global south at COP27, and invites other leading African universities to join them at COP28.
6. There is much more to be done – and no time to waste!
While some progress was made at this year's event, there is still much to be done post-COP in terms of implementation and the conversion of agreements into commitments and, in turn, commitments into legislation. The SU School for Climate Studies is committed to strengthening its relationships with global universities in the coming year and hopes to double its student contingent to four (or, hopefully, more) at COP28. Midgley also plans to incorporate several of the insights from COP27 into next year's courses and training programmes.
