• To enhance the scientific understanding of global change focusing on climate change impacts
• To develop innovations and technologies to respond to global and climate challenges, and
• To understand the social context within which solutions need to be implemented

The RVSC at Sol Plaatje University (SPU) was established in September 2021 and is uniquely positioned to engage in global change science research in the Northern Cape, a province already under climate risk due to its dry, arid landscapes and frequent drought periods. Agriculture, food security, water management and conservation, natural capital, energy, and other industries are vulnerable to global warming and predicted changes in the region suggest increasing negative impacts on landscapes, communities, and livelihoods.

The work of the Centre looks to address these risks, analyze the vulnerabilities and assess the resilience within the different sectors within the UN Sustainability Development Goals. The Centre’s strategy aligns with national, provincial, and institutional strategies in terms of sustainability, science, innovation, and technology.

One of the key focus areas of the Centre at SPU is to develop the capacity and skills base of postgraduate students in global and climate change science and specifically within the context of arid environments and drylands.

Besides undergraduate programmes in the biological sciences that include aspects of climate change and arid zone ecology, and future environmental science courses covering climate change and sustainability, SPU, through the Centre for Global Change, offers postgraduate programmes that further develop advanced research approaches through expert supervision, focused research design courses and engaging and regionally relevant research projects in global change science.