In the wake of COP17, Wits University will launch a R28-million Global Change and Sustainability Research Institute tomorrow, Tuesday, 8 November 2011 in the new Science Stadium, Yale Road, Braamfontein, Johannesburg. Dr Heidi Hackmann, Secretary-General of the International Social Science Council will deliver the keynote address. With the global population mark reaching seven billion, there are too many people dependent on fewer and fewer non-renewable resources, resulting in the extraction of more resources, the exploitation of new areas all of which result in land cover change. Combined with climate change, these changes are collectively known as global change, which presents some known challenges but others which we can only predict. We do know that these challenges of the future will be complex, and that it will require a collective contribution to better understand and resolve these issues,” says Prof. Andrew Crouch, Dean of the Faculty of Science at Wits University and Acting Director of the Institute. “This 21st Century Institute, which we will promote to a global audience at COP17, will tackle problems related to global change, climate change and sustainability in a revolutionary way. It will bring to bear the distinct capabilities of environmentalists, social scientists, researchers, academics, economists, biologists, innovators, strategists and energy experts as well as representatives from government, industry and civil society to resolve the complex issues we face today, and in the future.” Some of the research areas to be explored by the Institute include: Global Change adaptation and mitigation; Biodiversity, human health and the nutritional status of rural communities; Sustainable urban living through improved water, waste and energy management; Pollution, extraction and ecosystem health; Environmental policies; Building resilient cities and Innovation policy-making effectiveness and support. “Climate and broader,related processes of global environmental change confront us with an unprecedented situation, unique in its causes and consequences, its complexity and urgency. Its effects are inescapable and relentless, posing challenges to all human beings in all parts of the world. If science is to step up to the mark and play a leading role in meeting those challenges, then scientists have to get their act together. Research as usual is not an option. For the benefit of our common humanity and shared physical environment, working across traditional disciplinary and institutional boundaries, integrating multiple sources of expertise, and working with society in the co-production of solutions is not a choice but a simple necessity,” says Hackmann. Dr Robert Scholes, a Systems Ecologist at the CSIR will be one of the speakers at the launch: “South Africa is the leader in Africa regarding the analysis of global change issues. Our capacity to move beyond highlighting the problem, into generating solutions that are appropriate for our circumstances, will be determined by how well we are able to draw together the many threads of this complex challenge. In particular, it requires the deepintegration of climatological, ecological, engineering, economic and social expertise. This is what the Wits Global Change and Sustainability Institute sets out to do.” For more information on the Wits Global Change and Sustainability Research Institute, or to view a list of Wits experts on matters related to climate and global change, visit www.wits.ac.za/gcsri.
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