PR97700

BEIJING, PARIS and STELLENBOSCH, South Africa, Sept. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--

2022 is unusual in many aspects, as expressed by Todd Stern, the former special

envoy for climate change of the United States, in a recent interview. From the

extreme droughts resulting in famine in the Horn of Africa to the heat waves

across Europe and the flooding in Asia, 2022 shows the world what this 'code

red' of climate change is like.

It is crucial to prepare today's youth to lead global climate governance in the

future, as well as to engage the society as a whole in this cause, especially

with a perspective focusing on the synergy between climate change and other

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), if we are to succeed in building a

sustainable net-zero future for all.

'Climate x' Campaign pools the collective strength of GAUC member universities

and gains support from global partners.

The Global Alliance of Universities on Climate (GAUC) was established in 2019

to provide leadership of global higher education efforts to address climate

change. Today it consists of 15 of the world's leading universities from nine

countries and across six continents. By launching the 'Climate x' Campaign,

GAUC aims to offer a systematic solution to the progress of global climate

governance and a concrete contribution to the success of COP27 by preparing the

youth, promoting a synergetic approach, and mobilizing the multi-stakeholders.

"This is a time of enormous challenges. Our health and well-being, peace and

prosperity, and nature itself are under threat. The most pressing problems

confronting nations are ultimately global in nature, and they demand global

solutions. The focus of the 'Climate x' campaign is an excellent example of

this," said Amina J. Mohammed, the UN Deputy Secretary-General, in her address

during the launch of the campaign.

The campaign, which pools the collective strength of GAUC's 15 member

universities, features a three-level structure: a national program of 'Climate

x' Leadership Training Pilot (the Pilot) co-initiated by Sciences Po in Paris

and Tsinghua University in Beijing; a regional event of the African Regional

Forum on Climate Change organized by Stellenbosch University, GAUC's only

member university in Africa; and three events at the international level,

namely the Global Youth Climate Week, the GAUC Climate x Summit, and the GAUC

COP27 high-level event.

The youth plays a vital role

Climate change is a challenge that will cast long-lasting impact over our

descendants in the future, which makes youth the backbone of the net-zero

future.

Ahead of the campaign's official launch, the Pilot program enrolled and

cultivated over 150 students from GAUC member universities, forming the first

cohort of GAUC Global Youth Ambassadors. Those students, divided into 21

interdisciplinary and cross-culture teams, have developed innovative solutions,

ranging from digital games and mobile applications to panel discussions and

community engagement, which will be featured during the campaign.

Synergetic approach is essential

Climate change is closely intertwined with all the SDGs and holds transforming

power over broader social and economic sectors, making a synergetic approach

that integrates the realization of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda

essential in building a sustainable net-zero future. Considering the trending

global topics, GAUC distinguished four areas to focus the synergy with climate

change in 2022, namely Sustainable & Secure Energy; Finance; Nature,

Biodiversity & Food; Adaptation & Resilience.

The campaign's regional event, the African Regional Forum on Climate Change

(ARF) will be a hybrid event from 5-9 September 2022, covering topics such as

food and water security, disaster risk reduction, sustainable and reliable

energy, and the impact of climate change on people and businesses. Leading up

to the COP27, ARF aims to provide a platform for engaging multiple institutions

and stakeholders in climate change science and its applied social and policy

implications in Africa.

Getting the whole of society on board

The success of the cause requires getting on board society as a whole. In 2021,

GAUC's Climate x Summit attracted over 1.25 million participants worldwide

during the COP26. In 2022, the three-level structure of the Climate x Campaign

is going to engage even more multi-stakeholders.

At the launch ceremony, GAUC extended the invitation to global organizations

and institutions to co-initiate the Global Youth Climate Week. Scheduled ahead

of each COP, it is a mechanism that GAUC proposed to the United Nations

Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to coordinate the actions of

the youth for more impactful contribution. Ms. Patricia Espinosa, the then

Executive Secretariat of UNFCCC appraised that the proposal would provide an

impactful contribution to the UNFCCC process by mobilizing and

institutionalizing the efforts being made by global youth in the response to

climate change.

For more information about GAUC, please visit: https://gauc.net/

SOURCE: Global Alliance of Universities on Climate

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   Caption: 'Climate x' Campaign pools the collective strength of GAUC member universities

and gains support from global partners.