Panel discussion with Marcel Beukeboom, Dutch Climate Envoy

Universities, as global players and representatives of their regions, have an important role to play in adapting to climate change, not only through knowledge generation, sharing and dissemination, but also through collaboration with government, industry, NGOs, and partner universities.  The Department of International Strategy and Relations at the University of Groningen organised a panel discussion titled: Are Universities Ready to Play Their Role in Climate Adaptation? The session was a part of the Climate Adaptation Week Groningen (19-25 January 2021).

The panel was opened by Marcel Beukeboom, Climate Envoy for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with a reflection on the urgency to put adaptation on the top of the global agenda, the need to rethink the foundations of our societal models, and to rephrase the questions we ask  in academia.  

He was joined by three experts from the University of Groningen, Dr Joram Tarusarira, Dr Karsten Schulz, and PhD candidate Anne van Valkengoed, who discussed the role of universities in preparing new generations to adapt to climate change. They shared their vision on how universities could use their existing global network of research collaborators and partner institutions to further stimulate efforts on climate adaptation, how they can become more active and meaningful actors in political, economic, and societal debates on climate adaptation.