The Global Alliance of Universities on Climate (GAUC) has launched this year's 'Climate X' Campaign globally on Monday.

The campaign, which pools the collective strength of GAUC's 15 member universities, features a three-level structure: a national program of 'Climate X' Leadership Training Pilot (the Pilot) co-initiated by Sciences Po in Paris and Tsinghua University in Beijing; a regional event of the African Regional Forum on Climate Change organized by Stellenbosch University, GAUC's only member university in Africa; and three events at the international level, namely the Global Youth Climate Week, the GAUC Climate x Summit, and the GAUC COP27 high-level event.

"Climate change poses existential threats upon all of us, regardless of national boundaries, which require us to rise from differences and act as one", Wang Xiqin, president of Tsinghua University, said at the launch ceremony, "it also requires us to break the border of disciplines, to see the synergy between climate change and every social and economic sector, and to leverage that synergy for effective and innovative solutions. With the letter "X" from the theme, this campaign emphasizes that synergy specifically," he added. 

As part of the campaign, the African Regional Forum on Climate Change is taking place from September 5th to 9th in South Africa. The event covers diversified topics such as food and water security, disaster risk reduction, sustainable and reliable energy, and the impact of climate change on people and businesses. Leading up to the COP27, the forum aims to provide a platform for engaging multiple institutions and stakeholders in climate change science and its applied social and policy implications in Africa. 

Meanwhile, the Pilot program has enrolled and cultivated over 150 students from GAUC member universities, forming the first cohort of GAUC Global Youth Ambassadors. Those students, divided into 21 interdisciplinary and cross-culture teams, have developed innovative solutions, ranging from digital games and mobile applications to panel discussions and community engagement, which will be featured during the campaign.

Scheduled ahead of each COP, the Global Youth Climate Week is also going to help youth to generate more concrete impacts on the progress of global climate governance by convening and coordinating their actions. 

The success of the cause requires getting on board society as a whole. In 2021, GAUC's Climate X Summit attracted over 1.25 million participants worldwide during the COP26. In 2022, with the 'Climate X' Campaign being launched at national, regional and global levels, GAUC hopes to engage even more multi-stakeholders.  

"This is a time of enormous challenges. Our health and well-being, peace, prosperity, and nature itself are under threat. The most pressing problems confronting nations are ultimately global in nature, and they demand global solutions. The focus of the 'Climate X' campaign is an excellent example this," said Amina J. Mohammed, the UN Deputy Secretary-General, in her address to the event.

Initiated by China's Tsinghua University in 2019 during the World Economic Forum in Davos, GAUC aims to provide collective leadership of global higher education efforts to address climate change and prepare the next generation to take the lead in tackling climate change challenges. 

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