The Science, Politics and Economics of Climate Change
“The people who are currently in power and responsible for making important decisions will not likely be alive in 20 – 30 years when the worst effects of the current rate of climate change will be felt. Therefore, they don’t have as much to lose from continuing to make bad decisions. By the time we inherit political and strategic power on this planet, it will be too late to make changes.”
These are the words of a young climate activist ahead of the United Nations 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26), scheduled to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, between 31 October and 12 November 2021.
This meeting will be attended by numerous Heads of State, climate change scientists, activists, negotiators, media and delegates from around the world.
It will be the most important international meeting ever to be held for the decisions made within the conference rooms and hallways of the Scottish Event Campus. This event will decide the future of the planet and every living thing on it.
This is why the third episode of the Cornerstone Critical Dialogues on Bush Radio 89.5FM will host a panel of South African climate activists and thinkers to take a deep dive into the science, politics and economics of climate change in the local and global context.
Joining us at 7 pm next Thursday will be Sarah Robyn Farrell, environmental communicator, musician, writer and director at the African Climate Alliance, Gabriel Klaassen, intersectional youth climate activist and Communications Officer at Project 90 by 2030, Marcela Guerrero Casas, Programme Lead at the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership and Thulani Dube, Programme Head of Business Studies at Cornerstone Institute.
The show will also stream live on Facebook and YouTube.
SPEAKERS
Thulani Dube
Michelle Mhaka
Sibusiso Mazomba
Marcela Guerrero Casas
SPEAKERS BIO’S
Thulani Dube
Thulani Dube
Thulani Dube is the Faculty Programmes Coordinator and Business Studies Department Lead at Cornerstone Institute.
Thulani Dube holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Nicosia. He also graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree in Business Management from the University of South Africa (UNISA) where he earlier received a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in
Human Resources Management.
His passion for human capital development further urged him towards a Higher National Certificate in Skills Development Facilitation through UNISA. His lecturing focus areas include Leadership Development, Entrepreneurship, Business Management and Marketing.
He remains committed to focusing on Managerial Leadership Development as well as Youth empowerment and development through his engagements on various platforms. Thulani is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt is currently working towards his Black Belt Six Sigma Certification.
Mitchelle Mhaka
Mitchelle Mhaka
Educational coordinator – The African Climate Alliance
Mitchelle Mhaka is a Zimbabwean-born, Cape Town-based Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics student, debater and activist spreading the word about the climate crisis and related issues among the youth. She is the Educational Coordinator for the African Climate Alliance, an organisation that is demanding for leaders and political heads to be accountable in dealing with the current climate crisis.
Mitchelle has taken it upon herself to become an information hub for young people who want to learn about climate change and issues related to it. Her work as an education coordinator addresses the climate literacy issues we have in South Africa. She feels that people, especially those in underprivileged communities, should have the same access to information about environmental conservation and that arming the youth with knowledge is critical because the youth can be a powerful voice that could instil change in those they interact with.
Sibusiso Mazomba
Sibusiso Mazomba
Youth Delegate- The South African Delegation at Cop26.
Sibusiso Mazomba (he/him) is a 2nd year Marine Biology, Statistics and Oceanography student at the University of Cape Town. As an intersectional climate change activist with an interest in youth participation in policy and decision-making, he is part of the Youth Policy Committee in the Climate Change Working Group, where he creates and lobbies for responsive policies to the climate change crisis through an intersectional lens that recognises the non-neutrality of climate impacts and their relation to gender, youth and other of socio-economic issues in South Africa.
As a member of the African Climate Alliance, he is part of a task force aimed at raising awareness on the impact of coal mining on the health of local communities and how this degrades climate resilience in those communities. He is working together with the NBI on their Just Transitions Pathways Project as a sit-in youth board member which will be presented at COP26. As implementation lead of the South African Youth Climate Action Plan, he is working closely with officials from the city of Johannesburg and the Global Change Insitute to implement some of the ambitions of the Johannesburg Climate Action Plan. He will also serve as the youth delegate for the South African delegation at COP26.
Marcela Guerrero Casas
Marcela Guerrero Casas
Marcela Guerrero Casas is a Programme Lead at the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership (EDP), where she works on issues related to resilience, waste, food and climate change.
She was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, and has lived and worked in South Africa since 2006. Marcela is a co-founder and former managing director at Open Streets Cape Town (OSCT), a frequent contributor to the Daily Maverick on public space issues, and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Council on Mobility.
Marcela holds a Masters in Public Administration and International Affairs from Syracuse University and has worked in policy and advocacy for over a decade.
ENROL NOW
Cornerstone Institute Applications and registrations for 2022 are now open.