​The School for Climate Studies at Stellenbosch University (SU) is barely one year old, but has already achieved some major successes. This is even more remarkable considering that the entity was established in June 2021, when the pandemic was still causing wide-scale disruptions.

“We're working according to a broad plan, but responding in an agile fashion to opportunities that emerge," says Prof Guy Midgley, who was appointed the School's acting director in February. This dynamic approach is certainly paying off: The School has already initiated or joined a number of collaborative research and teaching projects.

Research collaborations

One example is its collaboration with the South African Environmental Observation Network and several German university partners to measure ecosystem functioning under a range of land use types. “We're very interested in carbon dioxide removal and management, so we're looking at expanding our expertise and capacity in measuring, modelling and predicting carbon dioxide exchange by ecosystems both in the oceans and on land," says Midgley. “Sixty percent of human carbon dioxide emissions are absorbed naturally by ecosystems. This is understudied in the Southern African region and the Southern Ocean, which both play a critical role in the global carbon cycle. Our collaborative network will measure the pulse of these ecosystems on a minute-by-minute basis." A number of PhD and master's students are already working on this project.

Another collaboration that is gaining momentum is a project to model climate risks to the hydrology and biodiversity of UNESCO heritage sites in Southern Africa. The research is conducted in collaboration with the University of Cincinnati and funded by UNESCO.

Moreover, French embassy funding for two years to support the work of Dr Romain Pirard, a senior researcher in resource economics, has led to the submission of a number of research proposals on transdisciplinary approaches to environmental problems. And collaborative teams are being built in the process.

Global climate teacher

In addition to its research collaborations, the School is also playing an important part as climate teacher. As one of the 15 members of the Global Alliance of Universities on Climate (GAUC), it leads some of the organisation's work to pilot international climate and climate policy training with about 150 students. The training takes the form of a weekly set of lectures over several months in the lead-up to COP27, the United Nations climate change conference, in Egypt in November 2022. A diverse group of SU students have been actively engaged. SU is the only African university belonging to GAUC and serves alongside prominent institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the London School of Economics.

Closer to home, the School is developing an African Regional Forum on Climate Change. This body will bring together climate partners at SU with peers from across the continent.

Going forward, the School is keen to expand its teaching footprint. “There is very clearly a desire to develop postgraduate studies of different kinds in response to emerging demands. We are also working to develop modules for remote teaching, to be offered internationally," Midgley says. “There is a large gap in terms of climate change teaching in Africa, and we can offer some good local content and understanding."

Capable leadership

The School has clearly benefited immensely from Midgley's leadership. The A-rated researcher worked in science and policy for the South African National Biodiversity Institute for 31 years before taking up a professorship in SU's Department of Botany and Zoology in 2014. He is also currently the acting chair of the University's Centre for Invasion Biology (C×I×B), which has contributed to the Climate School's swift success. “It made sense to look at how the existing C×I×B staff, facilities and science network could give impetus to the School," Midgley points out.

The SU Water Institute too is integrating with the School. “The Water Institute's postdoctoral fellows are developing hydrological models that are increasingly able to translate climate scenarios into hydrological scenarios," Midgley explains. “These are much more useful than raw climate scenarios to work out impacts and risks for multiple sectors."

Synergy key to success

Plans for the future include working through what Midgley calls “transformation agents" in South Africa to develop the required climate know-how. “We want to work with the National Research Foundation, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and others in building a well-transformed cadre of postgraduate students and professionals who will be able to produce the kind of knowledge and guidance that the region will need. It's important for the development of sustainable policies."

Midgley is excited about the potential of the School for Climate Studies. “The School is a new structure at SU," he says. “Existing structures are unable to do what the School is attempting to do in terms of transdisciplinary connectedness on a topic as difficult and complex as climate change. Considering the initial disruption of the pandemic, we've really only been going for six or seven months, but already you can start to see the benefits of synergistic efforts."

To stress the importance of synergy in tackling climate change, he adds: “Climate change has a broad effect – on energy supply, land use, crop production, food security, urban design, housing design, water security, water quality. The list goes on. If, as a university, you want to produce students who are able to tackle these issues, it will be very difficult to do within the existing structure of specialised faculty and departmental silos. So, we will try to synergise and mutualise the existing expertise that's been built in climate change within all these silos."

 *African Regional Forum on Climate Change

Stellenbosch University's School for Climate Studies is collaborating with the Global Alliance of Universities on Climate in co-hosting the first African Regional Forum on Climate Change. The forum will take place from 5 to 9 September, and the hybrid sessions will focus on food and water security, disaster risk reduction, sustainable and reliable energy, and the impact of climate change on people and businesses in Africa. Additional sessions will include a focus on youth engagement in climate science and policy. 

Interested parties may register their intent to attend the regional forum by clicking here.