GCUA 2030 Climate Action Challenge

Several GCUA 2030 partners are currently developing a Climate Action Challenge. This is a hybrid activity that GCUA 2030 PhD students can either follow as a credited course (6 ECTS) or a freestanding activity.

Students will engage in a case study activity as part of an international and interdisciplinary group, in which they will develop a Nature-based Solution (NbS) for a specific location and socio-ecological system to mitigate climate change and/or the effects of climate change. NbS use the capacity of natural processes and/or ecosystems to take up emitted carbon (e.g., tree planting, wetland restoration) and/or reduce negative impacts of climate change (e.g., flooding, fire).

After developing their specific NbS case, students will then analyse how their NbS may be generalised to other socio-ecological, cultural, and geographic contexts. Students will also analyse synergies and trade-offs of their proposed NbS with other SDGs, beyond SDG 13, using an intercultural and interdisciplinary approach.

Based on the outcome of these analyses, students will re-assess their solution and adjust it to maximise synergies and minimise trade-offs with other SDGs. Each group will present their final solution in a fact sheet and pre-recorded video pitch, highlighting the synergies and trade-offs between their NbS and other SDGs. The outputs will be evaluated by an independent panel of GCUA 2030 experts who will award the winning group with an attractive prize.

Note! Planning is in process for 2024.