Program at a glance

Academic Workshop on Climate Action: Parallel Thematic Sessions

The Role of the University in a Climate-Changing World: Transforming curriculum, knowledge ecologies and knowledge production
A core role of the university is educating the upcoming generation of citizens and researchers. Arguably, the challenges this generation will face in a climate-changing world require new forms of curriculum, new knowledge ecologies and new modes of knowledge production. This workshop will explore the possibilities for a large-scale, collaborative, interdisciplinary research programme that takes seriously the need for universities to rise to this challenge. Given the scale and import of climate change for the planet as a whole and for the lives of the students we are educating today, this research will likely show the need to radically transform traditional university curricula, knowledge ecologies and knowledge production. Interwoven with the curriculum-knowledge focus are important questions about how to respond to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals; how climate change impacts on our understandings of what counts as knowledge and knowledge production such that western-dominated, discipline-specific models may be decentred; and how universities might best work with community organisations to transform curricula and pedagogy to address climate action. Throughout the workshop, we will engage in expert-led conversations and planning towards a WUN-based research programme that addresses the challenges raised above.

Preparing Health Systems for Climate Change
The Public Health Steering Group thematic workshop will build on international understandings of health systems, climate change and challenges to health care to discuss and debate the preparedness of health systems for climate change. Leading researchers, policy makers and practitioners will outline world thinking on health system preparedness and key trends in health system failures/challenges, with the thematic sessions allowing for in-depth discussion of factors relevant to addressing what preparedness means in the context of the social, economic and political dimensions associated with understanding, accepting and taking action on climate change.

Affordable and Clean Energy
The Responding to Climate Change (RCC) workshop will address the multiple challenges of developing clean and affordable energy systems. It will deliver and debate key perspectives and recommendations of leaders in industry, government and non-government organisations and academia. Collectively it will embrace social, health, engineering and environmental science disciplines.

Climate-Induced Migration
This workshop will address what has been presented as one of the most pressing Global Challenges of our time: Climate induced Migration. The workshop will explore realities, consequences and the framing of the issue. The aim is to identify the global realities and what should be the research priorities of WUN partners in engaging with policy agendas. We will encourage participants to seek to discover new possibilities and approaches in the interface between different Global Challenges groups.