As part of supporting and informing the deliberations that will take place at COP28 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) later this year, the University of Pretoria (UP) and the UAE embassy recently hosted a discussion to take stock of climate action that has been taken to date, focusing on African business and industry and what is needed to close the gap. The event was held at UP’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) and aligns with GIBS’s institutional focus on climate change.

At COP28, world leaders will converge at Expo City Dubai from 30 November to 12 December 2023 to focus on fast-tracking a just, orderly and equitable energy transition; fixing climate finance; putting nature, lives and livelihoods at the heart of climate action; and mobilising for the most inclusive conference.

“Climate action and the associated co-benefits for sustainability transitions can be realised through a number of different, but related, pathways to impact,” said Professor Barend Erasmus, Dean of UP’s Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. “Higher education, and business schools in particular, provides such a pathway to impact through the combination of training, research and the engagement with societal sectors in joint efforts to produce actionable knowledge.”

Business schools, he added, are uniquely positioned for impact.

“They straddle academia and industry, and provide a unique opportunity for impact and transformation in the policy space. Not only do their alumni networks reach into senior management of large industries, but through their executive and educational activities, there are opportunities to provide safe spaces for sensitive discussions.”

Expert panellists (left to right): Steve Nicholls, Head of Climate Mitigation, Presidential Climate Commission; Tanya dos Santos, sustainability leader and former Global Head of Sustainability at Investec; Professor Barend Erasmus, Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences; and Dr Jill Bogie, Director of GIBS Sustainability Initiatives for Africa.

For the first time at a COP forum, the thematic programme includes a day dedicated to “Health, Recovery and Peace”. A high-level ministerial meeting on climate health will outline priority actions on health. COP28 will bring together leaders across all levels of government to work towards cleaner, greener, safer cities for current and future generations. All thematic days throughout the two weeks will be underpinned with an inclusive approach that prioritises frontline communities and focuses on how finance, technology and innovation can drive solutions. The world will take stock of its progress on the Paris Agreement – a legally binding international treaty on climate change – while the first Global Stocktake will provide a comprehensive assessment of progress since adopting the agreement.

At the event hosted by GIBS, a panel of leading experts discussed what the Global Stocktake means for industry in South Africa and Africa, and tackled questions about the current state of progress towards avoiding dangerous climate change, the relationship between the increase in climate-linked disasters and whether there is a meaningful global appetite for climate action. They also highlighted hurdles to achieving the required ambition for climate action and shared their messages to all the negotiators who will be attending COP28 UAE.

“I’ve spent the past 15 years trying to shift the mindset of business in boardrooms and it has not been easy at all,” said Tanya dos Santos, sustainability leader and former Global Head of Sustainability at Investec. “We need much more deliberate action and it needs to start at policy level and government level. We are not going to shift the needle unless we have this guidance. We need to force companies to take [global warming] seriously and start reporting. They only take things seriously when it becomes regulation and they start reporting on it or it hits their [market] share price.”

“We need to flip the mentality from challenge to opportunity,” said Guy Midgley, a climate change researcher and Acting Director of the School for Climate Studies at Stellenbosch University. “Once you shift your mindset into a future that is better for everyone, is more equal, is cleaner, and offers better jobs and better lives for everyone, it becomes a lot more acceptable. It brings a much more optimistic view, and you can then encourage hope – the young generation needs hope.”

Sending a message to all negotiators who will attend COP28 UAE, Thureya al Ali, team leader for the Global Stocktake, said, “Come with an open mind and ambitious outcomes within your topics and your sectors. Push for ambition and for increased international cooperation and trust. We want to have a very successful outcome at COP28 UAE and we cannot do it alone. We rely on all parties to have the same intent and willingness to do so.”

Click here to watch the discussion. (Passcode: M$vXC95S)