The Stellenbosch University School for Climate Studies will host a session on climate change, biodiversity and ecosystems as part of the Global Alliance of Universities on Climate Change pre-COP sessions from 26 to 29 October 2021.
This forms part of the Global Youth Summit on Net-Zero Future taking place in the run-up to the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November 2021.
The session, starting at 16:30 on 27 October 2021, will be opened by Sir Sir Bob Watson, former Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and winner of the Blue Planet Prize 2010, and Dr Anne Larigauderie, Executive Secretary of the International Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
The first keynote speaker is Dr. Chris Trisos, Coordinating Lead Author of IPCC Africa Regional Chapter for the upcoming IPCC WG2 report, University of Cape Town African Climate and Development Initiative. The title of his address is “Biodiversity and climate change in Africa".
The second keynote address will be delivered by Prof Wendy Foden, chair of the Specialist Group on Climate Change at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and research manager at South African National Parks.
Last on the programme are a panel of four postgraduate students from SU's Department of Botany and Zoology, who will be presenting short case studies from southern Africa. They are Amukelani Maluleke talking about ecosystem CO2 uptake and water use in a southern African savannah; Felix Skhosana talking about ecosystem structural change in southern African savannas; Kerry Grey about declining populations of the desert tree succulent Aloidendron dichotomum (Quiver tree); and Jessie Yuill about heat stress effects on an endemic seagrass, Zostera capensis.
The event is moderated by Prof Guy Midgley, director of the Stellenbosch University School for Climate Studies and head of the global change and biodiversity research group in SU's Department of Botany and Zoology. He is also the contributing, lead, and coordinating lead author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) third, fourth, fifth and sixth reports, as well as the IPBES Global Report on Biodiversity, and the IPBES/IPCC joint report on climate change and biodiversity.
The sessions are open and free to attend for all.
Click here to join the event at 16:30 to 18:00 on Wednesday 27 October 2021: https://climatex2021.gauc.net/events/380.html
