5.7 International Universities Climate Alliance – IUCA
UNSW launched the
Climate Alliance in April 2020 . It brings together 48 of the world ’ s best climate change research universities and gives governments , industry and communities access to top researchers devoted to addressing this challenge . The Alliance issued its first Declaration ahead of the G20 Summit in November 2020 , imploring member governments to work together to counteract climate change by ensuring fossil fuel industries rapidly move at scale to become net zero carbon energy providers . The Declaration sends a clear message that universities are united and are asking leaders to ensure all investments work towards decarbonising the economy to build a climate-resilient world for future generations . The Climate Alliance has applied for Observer Status at COP27 and will hopefully send delegations and hold side events .
The Climate Alliance ’ s key success measures are global impact and scalability , and most initiatives align to these measures . The Climate Alliance ’ s activities are managed through a strategic framework that facilitates efficient decision-making and participation through inclusive , flexible , and scalable processes . The three levels of the Framework are :
> Flagship Initiatives – These are the Alliance ’ s highest profile activities and must promote scientific research and evidence-based climate research ; must demonstrate global impact towards the goal of accelerating climate action ; and must include participation by at least 50 % of the member universities . The 2021 ratified Flagship Initiatives are available
here ; Monash has already made substantial progress on the flagship
Media Communication Project .
> Regional Initiatives – Proposed by regional committees and address policy developments , misinformation or underreporting of important issues relevant to their region . The
Climate and Cities Conference on October 28th and 29th 2021 is the Asian Regional Committee ’ s initiative .
> Special Interest Groups ( SIGs ) – These can be proposed by any climate researcher from a member university . SIGs facilitate discussion on a topic of interest and aid the development of content for the Alliance ’ s communications platform including articles , fact sheets , media releases and other material .
Student Program
The Climate Alliance recognises that students are key stakeholders in our shared future . September 2021 saw the launch of
# ClimateTalks Global Festival , ( click the link , then “ view details ”). This ambitious , accessible student engagement program brought together experts from various disciplines and participants with diverse lived experience . As part of the festival , there was also an opportunity to participate in a
# ClimateTalks Global Hackathon . Student organisations interested in networking and collaborating with the Climate Alliance are invited to join as
Climate Alliance Ambassadors .
56 | UNSW PRME SIP Report 2021