UCT well represented at climate summit

The Energy Research Centre's Kim Coetzee and Nothando Mungwethe are among 13 UCT representatives attending the UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark from 6-18 December 2009.

UCT has its presence felt at the highly anticipated United Nations Climate Change Summit currently underway in Copenhagen, Denmark, with no less than 13 people from the university attending.

The UCT representation is led by Associate Professor Harald Winkler and Dr Andrew Marquard of the Energy Research Centre (ERC), both part of a South African government delegation. Others attending the meeting as observers include Anya Boyd, Kim Coetzee, Max Edkins, Thapelo Letete, Nothando Mungwe and Meagan Jooste, all from the ERC.

Members of UCT's Climate Systems Analysis Group (CSAG), including Chris Jack, Sepo Hachigonta, Professor Bruce Hewitson, Ruwani Walawege and Gina Ziervogel are also observing the negotiations.

The two-week conference will see members of the United Nations Framework Climate Change Conference meet for the last time at government level before the climate agreement is renewed. More than 8 000 people from over 170 countries, including government representatives, NGOs, research groups and journalists have made the journey to Copenhagen.

It is hoped that efforts will be made to make the conference a success, ending up with a "Copenhagen Protocol" to prevent global warming and climate change.

The ERC and the CSAG have started blogs on the summit.