The UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica. Wednesday, November 3, 2021— As the UN COP26 summit on Climate Change continues, 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 for higher education and research for sustainable development 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, and other like associations.
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”, which will be presented at COP26.
Members of the media are cordially invited to cover the University’s involvement at COP26 and may contact the University for more in depth details and/or interviews with our environment and climate experts.
UWI IN FOCUS AT COP26
UWI Scientists make representation for CARICOM as the world meets for COP26
The Caribbean has a lot at stake as world leaders and technical experts meet 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
This Friday, Nov. 5, COP26 Side Event: Transitioning to the Blue Economy panel discussion ft. Dr Donovan Campbell, Head of Department, Geography & Geology, The UWI Mona Campus
Join in the Transitioning to the Blue Economy panel discussion on Friday, November 5, from 11:00 a.m. Eastern Caribbean/AST | 10:00 a.m. Jamaica via this link: https://climate.thecommonwealth.org/ Delivered in partnership with the Association of Commonwealth Universities, this COP26 Side event features Dr Donovan Campbell, Head of Department, Geography & Geology, The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. The Blue Economy plays an essential role in climate change mitigation and adaptation for Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
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 showcase 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.
‘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/
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
