Climate Frontiers

In this Episode we explore the concept of impact models, which are models that use climate information as an input and then make specific projections, or produce narratives about impacts within an end user's sector. This user then incorporates this specific information into appropriate decision making. Within climate services, this process is an expanding field. Peter Johnston talks to Temitope Egbebiye, Piotr Wolski and Olivier Crespo as they explore the concept of impact models and how they work in practice.

If you would like to know more, subscribe to the Climate Frontiers Podcast on Apple or Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts.

In this Episode we explore the concept of the climate services value chain - the idea that climate information is produced by scientists and then fed down a chain of intermediaries who tailor or transform it, until it reaches its intended “end” user." This user then incorporates that information into decision making. Within the climate services community, this idea is a common conceptualisation of how climate services works. In this episode, Anna Steynor talks to Chris Jack, Mark Tadross and Alice McClure as they explore the concept of a value chain and whether it works in practice.

If you would like to know more, subscribe to the Climate Frontiers Podcast on Apple or Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts.

In this episode, we have a frank conversation about why people use, or don’t use climate information.  Seasonal forecasts are presented as a particularly interesting example, because, despite the potential value of seasonal forecasts for informing decision-making in the farming sector for example, they aren’t used much.  In fact there seems to be quite a bit of confusion and misunderstandings about what seasonal forecasts are communicating. To unpack some of the mystery of seasonal forecasts, Chris Jack speaks to Peter Johnston and Anna Steynor from CSAG about potential benefits of seasonal forecasts and some of the barriers to use.  Together, they discuss and explore the complex decision making landscape and how research outputs such as seasonal forecasts could be enhanced so that they are more relevant for decision making.

If you would like to know more, subscribe to the Climate Frontiers Podcast on Apple or Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts.

A decade of sustained African climate science mentorship

In this Episode we talk about the Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) and in particular Cordex-Africa and the role it has played in developing the capacity of African scientists to conduct climate-related research in Africa.  Dr Chris Lennard takes us through the reasons behind the development of CORDEX-Africa, the role it has played in the career pathways of those involved and the benefits produced for not only the science community but society as a whole. As you will hear, CORDEX-Africa plans continued engagement in the analysis of climate data, the writing of scientific papers, and facilitation of collaborations between climate and impact scientists as well as policy and stakeholder communities to jointly produce information relevant for climate resilient decision-making.

If you would like to know more, subscribe to the Climate Frontiers Podcast on Apple or Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts.

In this episode we talk about why climate change is such a complex problem and what CSAG and others are doing to make sense of the complexity to help make climate information clearer, more accessible, and usable or actionable by those confronting climate risks. Dr Anna Taylor from UCT's African Climate and Development Initiative speaks with Prof Bruce Hewitson and Dr Izidine Pinto, who are climate scientists developing innovative ways of tailoring climate information to the needs of those working to reduce climate impacts across southern Africa and beyond.

If you would like to know more, subscribe to the Climate Frontiers Podcast on Apple or Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts.

In this episode we talk to three people who have been involved in a recent project exploring some of the challenges at the intersection of climate services and ethics.  The project was a partnership between CSAG, the South African Weather Service (SAWS), the Department of Environment Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF), and the University of Witwatersrand and included a series of dialogues involving a wide range of participants from across the climate services landscape in South Africa.  

In this frank conversation, Jessica Lee speaks to Christopher Jack from CSAG, Tlou Ramaru from DEFF, and Tracey Laban from SAWS. They dive into the importance of climate services in the context of development and poverty alleviation in South Africa, but also debate some of the significant challenges in ensuring that climate services are ethical and that appropriate responsibility is held.  Should climate services involve professional certification and legislation like medicine, engineering or law?  Should we trust a "free market" approach?  Or is there a third option centered on ongoing dialogue, transparency, and collaboration?

Welcome to Climate Frontiers, a podcast series exploring the latest thinking, approaches, and debates in climate science, hosted by the Climate System Analysis Group, or CSAG, at the University of Cape Town. 

Our aim is to present an accessible perspective on topics that are often hidden behind academic language. Through conversations with researchers at CSAG, and occasionally with partners across Africa and internationally, we discuss a range of topics from within physical climate science, through to social science and philosophy