Knowledge to survive climate change

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time, and must be met with joint efforts at the global, national and local levels. Mittweida University of Applied Sciences (HSMW) is doing something - in Saxony and with international impact in an area - that matters just as much: sharing global knowledge on how to deal with climate change. To this end, the university hosted the first international climate forum "Science for livelihood - Interdisciplinary Forum on Research-Based Approaches for Climate Resilience" from June 13 to 16 at the Center for Media and Social Work. Cooperation partners inside were the African Climate Competence Centers SASSCAL and WASCAL, the International Center for Water Resources and Global Change (ICWRGC) in Koblenz and the University of Würzburg.

The interdisciplinary forum brought together academics, researchers, and policy makers from neighboring continents. Insights into the effects of climate change were as much the focus of the exchanges in the various conference groups as securing living conditions and saving ecosystems on both sides of the Mediterranean.

The Rector of the HSMW, Professor Dr. Volker Tolkmitt, and the Lord Mayor of the university town, Ralf Schreiber, opened the Climate Forum on the morning of June 13. Tolkmitt: "As with all future issues ... we do not look at individual aspects, but combine the topic in teaching, research, transfer and university management. We're always looking for applications to drive improvements in higher education, business or the college town."

In the plenary session that followed, introductory statements by the representatives of SASSCAL and WASCAL, Dr. Budzanani Tacheba and Prof. Dr. Kehinde Ogunjobi, were followed by a few words given on politics and science in keynote speeches by Dr. Wilfried Kraus, former Ministerialdirigent of the BMBF, and Prof. Dr. Sina Leipold, Head of the Department of Environmental Policy at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig.

The afternoon, like the two following days of the forum, was characterized by lectures and workshops in various thematic sessions, such as hydrogen, under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Röbbe Wünschiers (HSMW) and data modeling with Prof. Dr. Kristan Schneider (HSMW). Water management and agriculture were also topics on which the scientists exchanged ideas.

On the evening of June 13, the "Panel discussion: Securing Livelihoods under Changing Climate" offered insights into the work of the scientists. Representatives of WASCAL and SAASCAL discussed ways to secure livelihoods in Africa and Europe together with ICWRGC in the TV studio of the university.

The recording of the panel discussion is available for viewing on the Youtube channel of Mittweida University of Applied Sciences.

PD Dr. Gunter Süß, Director of Studies at the Institute for Communication, Competence and Languages at the HSMW (IKKS), moderated the panel discussion. His conclusion: "The panel on Tuesday evening - like the Climate Forum as a whole - shows how important it is to meet in person in order to work towards a common goal. This direct exchange of the many different perspectives, problems, approaches and insights is valuable; it facilitates cooperation across continents."

For students from Mittweida's Global Communication in Business and Culture program, the Climate Forum was an ideal opportunity to engage in conversation with the international guests. They accompanied them during the KIimaforum also in the supporting program with guided tours through the university and the university town Mittweida as well as on the final day in Leipzig.

Mittweida University of Applied Sciences has been cooperating with the BMBF-funded African climate competence networks West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) and Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL)since 2022. For more than ten years, they have been working with German research institutions to find solutions to the challenges of climate change in Africa and to train young scientists. They do this with a focus on different graduate and research centers in eleven partner countries in western Africa and five in southern Africa. The focus is on topics such as sustainable land use, water supply and food security. In addition to these two organizations, the International Center for Water Resources and Global Change (ICWRGC) in Koblenz and the Institute of Geography and Geology at the University of Würzburg collaborated on the HSMW Climate Forum.