Webinar presentation

Dr. Hans-Peter Winkelmann
Climate Change Expert
Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA+)
Climate Support Facility, Brussels
Director, CLIMATE CAMPUS
16 December 2015
Dr. Hans-Peter Winkelmann, Key Expert on Climate Change, GCCA+ CSF
Webinar
After Paris: How can Universities fight Climate Change?

Dr. Hans-Peter Winkelmann, Key Expert on
Climate Change, GCCA CSF
What is the GCCA/GCCA+?
The Global Climate Change Alliance GCCA was established by the European
Union (EU) in 2007 to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with developing
countries, in particular Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island
Developing States (SIDS).
It has a budget of more than €300 million and is one of the most significant
climate initiatives in the world. It supports 51 programmes around the world
and is active in 38 countries, 8 regions and subregions and on the global
level.
The GCCA+ focuses its technical support on three priority
areas:
•Climate change mainstreaming and poverty reduction
•Increasing resilience to climate-related stresses and shocks
•Sector-based climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies

Mainstreaming climate change into higher education
www.climate-campus.org

Let‘s talk a bit about climate change…
Climate change is widely acknowledged as mankind’s
most pressing challenge and what we do in the next
few years will determine whether we can avoid
serious impacts.

Let‘s talk about universities…

What do universities have to do with
climate change?
“Collaboration between educational, training and
research institutions would help to enable the formal
exchange of experience and lessons learned among
different institutions of the respective regions.
Universities, tertiary centres and research centres
have a special role to play in educating and building
the capacity of stakeholders in key sectors, and
climate change and adaptation issues should be
integrated into education curricula.”
The United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) is quite clear about that:

- Research
Dr. Hans-Peter Winkelmann, Key Expert on Climate Change, GCCA CSF
Let’s have a look at the three core functions
of universities first:
- Teaching
- Transfer and outreach

Civil Society
University
Education Research
Outreach/
Transfer
Management/Operations
Let‘s look at the role of universities in society in
view of the core functions of universities

Civil Society
University
Education Research
Outreach/
Transfer
What is the role of universities in society in view
of the impacts of climate change?

Civil Society
University
Education Research
Outreach/
Transfer
The role of universities in society in view of the
impacts of climate change
Generation of new
knowledge through
research on CC
Spreading of knowledge
through education
(integration of CC issues into
curricula)
Dissemination of knowledge into society
Through the management of
universities (“Practice what you
preach”)

Universities have a particularly important role
to play:
This is because of their traditional mission in research and
teaching, their increasing role in the complex process of
innovation, along with their other contributions to economic
competitiveness and social cohesion, e.g. their role in the
life of the community and in regional development.
Therefore universities have a special responsibility to
society on the local level and should play an important role
as local knowledge centers for climate change mitigation
and adaptation to help society to meet the challenge of
climate change.

Regarding climate change mitigation and adaptation,
universities are critical social multipliers in achieving
sustainable production and consumption patterns.
Universities are important actors in the community, as
employers, purchasers and service users.
Universities are also businesses where the prudent use
of natural resources saves money and safeguards
reputations. Besides the teaching and learning function
of universities their good housekeeping becomes more
and more crucial:
“Practice what you preach!”

8,000 universities worldwide can become models for
society in the pursuance of reducing greenhouse gas
emissions and tackling climate change.
140 million students are critical agents for a safer
future!

Conclusion:
Higher education occupies a central position in
shaping the way to cope with the challenge of
climate change.

Therefore, universities are called upon
•to teach not only the skills required to advance
successfully in the labour market,
•but also to nourish in their students, faculty and staff a
positive attitude towards climate change mitigation
and adaptation, and
•to help them to understand how people can contribute
to a better life in a sustainable world.

What does the COP21 in Paris say?
“7. Parties should strengthen their cooperation on enhancing
action on adaptation, taking into account the Cancun
Adaptation Framework, including with regard to:
(a)Sharing information, good practices, experiences and
lessons learned, including, as appropriate, as these relate to
science, planning, policies and implementation in relation to
adaptation actions; …(…)…
(c) Strengthening scientific knowledge on climate, including
research, systematic observation of the climate system and
early warning systems, in a manner that informs climate
services and supports decision-making;”

The challenge:
Mainstreaming the environment and climate
change into universities!

What do we mean by mainstreaming of
environment and climate issues?
Climate change is pervasive: it affects, and is
affected by, all spheres of public life and is closely
linked to poverty. This is why climate must be an
integral consideration in national development
plans, policies and budgets.

What do we mean by mainstreaming of
environment and climate issues?
Mainstreaming the environment and climate
change into all university programmes contributes
to successful and long-lasting results. It provides
tools and mechanisms to reduce vulnerabilities,
build resilience, identify opportunities for
sustainable livelihoods and contribute to the
transformation into an inclusive green economy.

How can universities realize mainstreaming
environment and climate change?

Universities can put mainstreaming environment
and climate change into practice in different ways:
- In the area of research through the generation of new
knowledge on climate change mitigation and adaptation,
- in the area of curriculum and teaching through the
incorporation of environment and climate change issues and
options into their teaching activities (“greening the curricula”),
- in the area of physical operations at university campuses
committed to sustainability work to reduce the institution's
carbon footprint and demonstrate practical examples of
sustainable living (“greening the campus”),
- in the transfer of know-how and technology to society.

Resources,
e.g. energy
Input:
Knowledge on
Climate Change
Research
Education
Transfer
Operations and
Management
Students
OperationallevelAcademiclevel
MAINSTREAMING CLIMATE CHANGE INTO
HIGHER EDUCATION
• Reduced emissions,
e.g. CO2
• New knowledge on
climate change
• New employees with
capabilities to address
climate change
• Solutions for mitigation
and adaptation
Output:

Let us discuss!

Think about your own university:
- How could your own university generate new knowledge
on
climate change?
- How could your own university spread this new knowledge
through education?
- How could your own university disseminate the new
knowledge on climate change to society?
- How could your own university be better managed in a
climate friendly way?
- How could your own university better demonstrate
sustainable living and working?

Look at the following questions from the
student’s perspective:
- What new key competences are needed to contribute to a
climate friendly future and how can they be acquired?
- How could universities enable students to contribute to a
climate friendly future?
- How can students acquire new knowledge and skills on
climate change?
- What could students in general do to help universities to
become climate friendly?

Thank you for your collaboration!

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