2025-08 - Changing the way we think about climate change
Changing the way we think about climate change
— Prof. Imraan Valodia
Fourth Wits Inter-Faculty Symposium on Climate, Sustainability and Inequality.
Important to build interdisciplinarity and collaboration within Wits and beyond with internal and external partners – postgrads, postdocs
Wits is the first university in the world which has introduced a compulsory Climate Change and Me introductory course for first year students as part of the Gateway to Success programme. Wits is doing well in terms of having introduced many interdisciplinary and postdoctoral fellow programmes in this area.
On the research funding front, Wits has a Nedbank Chair in Climate Modelling which will be led by Prof. Francois Engelbreht. Prof. Sally Archibald is doing impactful work across the continent on African savannahs. The Faculty of Health Sciences has a R40 million Wellcome Trust grant on climate change and health (add name of Centre). Wits also has grants from the Open Society Foundation on climate change and critical minerals. The Climate Change and Care work is also innovative. Chair in Water Systems straddles the Faculty of Science and the School of Law. Wits has won a grant on climate change research and AI (hyperlink to story on the web).
One of the big projects was to build a vision for climate change work across the University, drafting the Senate Pledge and drafting the sustainability strategy. A sustainability officer has been appointed in the DVC: Systems and Operations Office to help encourage behaviour change amongst staff and students.
Wits is now part of the UN’s ecosystem, and part of COP, especially using our vantage point from the Global South. Extended the Pro-VC’s term for a further three years in office.