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About the Centre for Global Change

The Centre for Global Change is a flagship programme of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and the National Research Foundation (NRF) Global Change Research Programme and are included under the ‘science and technology for global change with a focus on climate change’ Grand Challenge. In this context the Centre aims to identify and conduct relevant and applied research in global and climate change, the outputs thereof having direct on the ground impacts at the community and/or stakeholder level.

The Centre for Global Change’s framework is embedded under the South African Risk and Vulnerability Atlas (SARVA) an ICT-based decision-making support tool within the Global Change Research Plan which supports a central repository of a wide range of climate and environmental data. 

  • 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.

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