Two Kings, four events, four days, four cities

This week Grahamstown will host the launch of a new climate research group, and two prominent sustainability experts will be talking about one of the greatest challenges facing our planet today
climate change.

The South East African Climate Consortium (SEACC) is on a crusade for change in which the Eastern Cape could take a lead. The official launch of SEACC will take place at Rhodes University on 9 March at 3pm in the Chemistry Minor Lecture Theatre.

SEACC was developed to provide a mass of experts in the Eastern Cape to deal with issues of climate change, mitigation and adaption.

It aims to use its strengths in research, teaching, capacity building, communication and education to reach the people of southern and eastern Africa and bring about beneficial changes in behaviours that promote a sustainable future.

The founding members of SEACC are Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Rhodes University, University of Fort Hare, the Sustainable Seas Trust and the Wilderness Foundation.

This partnership provides the academic component of a link between academia, government and business. Sir David King and Prof Mervyn King, both experts in the field will visiting Grahamstown for two weeks to further discuss the topic.

Sir David King, of the Smith School of Environment and Enterprise at Oxford University, is the keynote speaker at the four events in four cities over four days.

He was Chief Scientific Advisor to the Blair and Gordon administrations and has been instrumental in raising the profile of the need for governments to take a stand against climate change.

The launch will took place in Johannesburg yesterday (8 March), hosted by the JSE and IoDSA. It will move to Grahamstown for the official launch on the 9th and to NMMU on the 10th for a one-day conference.

It will end at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town with an event hosted by Sustainable Seas Trust and BoE.