Ben-Gurion University to establish school dedicated to climate change
The school stands uniquely positioned to host the school considering its located in a desert climate.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFBIRDS FLY near factory emissions n Tangshan, China, in 2016. Waskow emphasizes the importance of using religion to fight climate change(photo credit: KIM KYUNG-HOON/FILE PHOTO/ REUTERS)
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) will be creating a first School of Sustainability and Climate Change, the institute of higher education announced on Tuesday.This will be the first university in Israel to have a program dedicated to climate change."The School of Sustainability and Climate Change is based on five decades of accumulated knowledge, experience and scientific research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev," President Prof. Daniel Chamovitz wrote in a letter to the University community."It is a natural step for the University, acknowledged globally for its environmental, energy and sustainability research, to harness that research in service to humankind's greatest challenges,' Chamovitz wrote. "We will be investing additional resources and recruiting partners to generate the next generation of climate and environmental solutions."The university stands uniquely positioned to host the school considering its location in a desert climate."Climate change is this generation's great challenge. What was once a local problem has transformed into a global crisis. We need experts to collaborate and think outside the box to turn local approaches into global solutions," Prof. Chamovitz said. "Large scale desalination and drip irrigation, climate-adapted agriculture and advanced energy technologies emerged out of necessity here in the Negev."Survival in the desert has always been predicated on human ingenuity, and, given the challenges facing the world, we are committed to sharing our knowledge through the creation of the School of Sustainability and Climate Change at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev."BGU researchers have recently set their focuses on a lack of fresh water, food security, sustainable agriculture, and advanced heating and cooling systems. The experience will be made readily available to the students as they focus on topics such as renewable natural resources and environmental and sustainability policy and management.The multidisciplinary studies have the potential to strengthen research in fields like water, food security, clean energy, environmental engineering, public health, smart cities and social justice.The school will be organizing a number of educational tracks for both domestic and international students."Researchers have a critical role to play in tackling climate change. Our School offers an innovative approach: Synergy among all the researchers in the field," Prof. Yaron Ziv. "Researchers and students will take advantage of this creative dynamic to make unique contributions, such that the sum will be greater than its parts."We will offer attractive dual-department degrees and we are already working on creating collaborations with industry, the government and international organizations."
