The UWI's involvement in COP26
The UN COP26 summit on Climate Change comes to a close and The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has been centre among many of the major conversations given its distinctive strategic role in providing the technical expertise and climate action advocacy for the Caribbean region.
The UWI currently serves as the global leader mobilising the International Association of Universities’ Global University Consortium on SDG 13 (Climate Action) and has a leading role in a specialised network known as the Commonwealth Climate Resilience Network (CCRN) — established by the Association of Commonwealth Universities. The UWI was recently invited to become a member of the International Universities Climate Alliance (the Climate Alliance). Established in 2020, it includes 48 world-class climate research universities across 21 countries globally. The UWI joins the Alliance, sharing in its vision to be ‘a global source of trusted communication on scientific research and evidence-based practice on climate change science, impacts, adaptation and mitigation’, and supporting its series of public events and outreach focussed on helping the public understand the IPCC reporting and policy commitments in the lead up to and beyond COP26.
Providing the best scientific research to tackle climate change has long been a priority for The UWI; the regional university’s scientists have been sounding the alarm for almost five decades. Thirteen UWI scientists have contributed to the IPCC Sixth Assessment cycle to produce the three-volume global assessment report, known as “The Sixth Report” and “Three Special Reports” presented at COP26.
Here's a roundup of some activities and content related to The UWI’s involvement at COP26:
UWI Scientists make representation for CARICOM as the world meets at COP26
The Caribbean has a lot at stake as world leaders and technical experts met for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference. “The outcomes from the November 1-12 COP26 can have profound impacts on our earth as we know it, and many view it as the last best chance for political leaders to avert a climate catastrophe, which would be unavoidable if global warming exceeds 1.5°C,” says Professor Michael Taylor, Climate Scientist at The University of the West Indies (The UWI).
Read more at
https://uwitv.org/uwi-news/uwi-scientists-make-representation-for-caricom-as-the-world-meets-for-cop26
One Ocean Expedition happening this weekend
This weekend, just as COP26 draws to its end, the 107-year-old 98-meter-long Statsraad Lehmkuhl sail training vessel will be docking in Kingston Jamaica from November 13 to 17. Onboard for this extraordinary research expedition are two postgraduate researchers from The University of the West Indies (The UWI) Mona Campus, Chauntelle Green from the Department of Life Sciences and Deron Maitland from the Department of Physics. The floating academy brings crews of students and young leaders together, combined with various high level meetings and public events during its port visit. The main goal of this
‘One Ocean Expedition’ is to create attention and share knowledge about the ocean´s crucial role for a sustainable future in a global perspective. The expedition is a recognised part of the UN Decade, and the ship will serve as a powerful tool for outreach, inspiration and engagement for the ocean, contributing in particular to the Societal Outcome 7 of the Decade: An inspiring and engaging ocean.
Specifically birthed by The UWI’s collaboration with University of Bergen through its
Global University Consortium on SDG-13, this partnership brokered by the Office of Global Partnerships and Sustainable Futures will include the signing of an MOU between The UWI and University of Bergen, a special port stop at a the Mona Campus with a tour of UWI Mona’s Port Royal Marine Lab and a knowledge exchange forum hosted by the Campus.
Faculty experts from The UWI’s Mona and St. Augustine Campuses also participated in the delivery of the One Ocean Expedition’s field course webinar series which ran through September and October 2021. Professor Judith Gobin of the Department of Life Sciences at St. Augustine led a session on “Exploring the Caribbean Deep Sea – Small Islands Large Ocean States” on October 13. Then, on October 20, Dr Michael Burn from the Department of Geography and Geology at Mona, presented an introduction to past records of tropical hurricanes in the Caribbean, in a session entitled, “The Value of Natural Archives of Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Activity.”
‘From vulnerability to resilience: Caribbean higher education institutions actioning the call’ | Feature on the role of universities in climate action authored by UWI, Disaster Risk Management Specialist, Jeremy Collymore
“Higher Education Institutions are essential contributors to the Caribbean’s resilience agenda and, through engaging in wider dialogue on disaster risk reduction, can help to save both lives and livelihoods. Given the short time frame in which the 1.5°C rise in global temperature may be realised (by 2030), our attention to adaptation must be accelerated and intensified. Whilst this could impact the nature of negotiations and outcomes of COP26, Caribbean HEIs must accelerate their support of the adaptation agenda.”
This says Jeremy Collymore, Disaster Risk Management Specialist and Honorary Research Fellow, The UWI Institute of Sustainable Development, and Co-Convenor of the ACU’s Commonwealth Climate Resilience Network.
In this latest ACU blog, he discusses the important role of universities in climate action, and how The UWI and other Caribbean higher education institutions are facing up to the climate resilience challenge.
Read more at
https://www.acu.ac.uk/news/from-vulnerability-to-resilience/
UWI Scientist, Dr Hugh Sealy led technical advisory support at COP26
Dr. Hugh Sealy, lecturer on climate change and water resources management at The UWI’s Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES) at Cave Hill, Barbados served in significant roles at COP26. He was the technical lead of the Barbados delegation and is also the lead negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), charged with coordinating AOSIS positions on matters related to raising the mitigation ambition of all countries to limit global warming to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius, and a co-facilitator of the negotiations under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
Dr. Sealy participated in key meetings in Glasgow, providing technical advisory support to the Barbados delegation. Commenting live on the progress in the first week, he said, “Parties must move beyond restating positions and must now find compromises and landing zones.”
A full interview with Dr. Sealy conducted by the Climate Alliance is available at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxLHtKjE2nc
UWI Experts featured at COP related events
Dr Donovan Campbell
On Friday, November 5, Dr Donovan Campbell, Head of Department, Geography & Geology, The UWI Mona Campus was featured as part of a COP26 Side Event. The panel discussion delivered in partnership with the Association of Commonwealth Universities, entitled, ‘Transitioning to the Blue Economy.
The Government of Antigua and Barbuda has committed to transitioning to a Blue Economy – reducing overreliance on tourism and supporting sustainable and resilient economic development. A key pillar of this is the establishment of a Centre of Excellence in Oceanography and the Blue Economy at The University of the West Indies’ Five Islands Campus, strengthening marine science and blue economy education and research across the Eastern Caribbean. This high-level panel will showcased Antigua and Barbuda’s strategy for transitioning to the Blue Economy, explore the role that higher education can play in realising this transition, and highlight opportunities for partners to engage in this work.
Professor John Agard
Professor John Agard opted to participate in COP26 events virtually instead of travelling to Glasgow, as a demonstration of his commitment to reducing CO2 emissions. He was a featured speaker in the Global Policy Dialogue COP26 Fireside Chat with GSDR Scientists hosted by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).
The recorded stream of that discussion is available here.
Professor John Agard, a leading scientist at The UWI St Augustine, Professor of Tropical Island Ecology and Executive Director of the University’s Global Institute for Climate-Smart and Resilient Development, was appointed last year by UN Secretary-General, António Guterres to help draft the
2023 Global Sustainable Development Report.
Professor Chris Oura
Professor Chris Oura, Professor of Veterinary Virology at the St. Augustine Campus was featured on WHO Health Pavilion at COP-26 entitled Developing Caribbean leaders in climate change and health. The UWI was among the partners for this COP26 side event, which featured highlights and lessons learned from a landmark Conference on Climate Change and Health in Small Island Developing States: Focus on the Caribbean, October 5-8, 2021, in which 25+ partners from the Caribbean and globally joined forces to address the Climate and Health Crisis in the Caribbean.
The COP26 Futures We Want project | Profile for Jamaica authored by UWI experts
The COP26 Futures We Want project released its findings just before the start of the international climate summit in Glasgow. These visions, commissioned in 2021 by the UK in their role as COP26 President, aim to explore what the future could look like in a climate-resilient, net-zero world.
They highlight some of the innovations that could make this future a reality, and explore what science can tell us about the wide-ranging benefits of achieving this future.
The visions cover a series of cross-cutting themes and six regions: The Arabian Peninsula (specifically focused on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates), Brazil, India, Jamaica, Kenya, and the UK. They were chosen to reflect the diversity of challenges and opportunities in building a sustainable future.
The regional profile for Jamaica developed with input from our UWI academic experts Professor Michael Taylor, Dr David Smith and Rajne Reynolds sets out a synthesis of the available evidence base on regional challenges and opportunities for mitigation, adaptation, and resilience measures associated with climate change and a global transition to an inclusive, desirable, and resilient net-zero future.
Learn more at
https://www.futureswewant.world/jamaica
The UWI is now home to Caribbean’s first Global Climate Smart Institute
One month ahead of COP26, The UWI launched its Global Institute for Climate-Smart and Resilient Development (GICSRD), a first-of-its-kind for the Caribbean virtual hub which consolidates The UWI’s research and teaching on climate change, disaster risk reduction, resilience and sustainable development; and a manifestation of a collective regional and ONE UWI in action. Several members of the GICSRD Management Committee, have been central to discussions and events related to the COP26 summit. Among them Executive Director, GICRSD, Professor John Agard, Professor Michael Taylor, Dr Donovan Campbell, Jeremy Collymore and Dr. Hugh Sealy.
Read more about the launch of The UWI’s first global climate smart institute at
https://uwitv.org/uwi-news/uwis-first-global-climate-smart-institute
Will COP26 be the turning point on climate?
What do you know about climate change? Does it worry you? How do you think it might affect your community and your livelihood? COP26, the United Nations climate change conference being held in Glasgow, UK, will bring together leaders from nearly every country on Earth – politicians, scientists, activists, and celebrities. But, we want to hear from communities. What do you think? This 15-minute survey, commissioned by the International Universities Climate Alliance, of which The UWI is a member, will help researchers and educators understand climate literacy across all communities, large and small, in every corner of the world. Play your part by sharing your Caribbean perspectives and experiences in this global survey.
Survey link here
Learn more about The UWI’s work in Climate Action at www.uwi.edu/climateaction
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