Arqus Holds its First Winter School, Devoted to Rethinking Climate Risk
The is the beginning of a unique educational journey, the , which brings together more than 65 students of Arqus Universities that will analyse and discuss Europe鈥檚 role in the climate crisis following a challenge-based approach. The participants will work together with other students and experts from across Europe on the transformative and disruptive challenges of our time, as part of the Arqus European University Alliance.
Climate risk and the role of science
According to Jakob Grandin, PhD-candidate at the Centre for Climate and Energy Transformation (CET) at the University of Bergen, who is one of the organizers of the Winter School and the leader of the Arqus Action Line 7, , climate risks and the role of science are extremely important topics.
鈥淭he climate crisis is a global challenge, but it also affects how we act as citizens and in local communities. This is the topic of the Arqus Winter School 2021,鈥� he says.
鈥淲ith us we have a team of more than 20 engaged lecturers from different disciplines. The lectures will be held on a level accessible to all no matter what discipline your educational background is from,鈥� Scott Bremer from the Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities and the co-organizer of the event, highlights.
Cross-disciplinary cooperation
During the week, the participants are delving into Europe鈥檚 role in the climate crisis, considering different scenarios for the future and different ways to deal with climate changes. The lecturers come from a range of different European countries and areas of expertise.
Scott Bremer expresses how the cross-disciplinary perspective makes the Winter School more interesting: 鈥淟ooking at climate risks, different disciplines are wearing different scholarly glasses. We need to get together and discuss in order to find the lasting solutions鈥�.
He also stresses the value of researchers from different countries experiencing different effects of the climate changes coming together to discuss the climate crisis. 鈥淭o participants in Granada the climate crisis is about heat waves, whereas in Bergen we worry more about landslides. Those are very different situations. However, by getting together and discussing on the basis that we are all Europeans, we might discover commonalities between the situations. For instance, both Bergen and Granada need to factor climate changes into urban planning, and depend on research communities and policy makers to cooperate in a good way,鈥� he describes.
Oddrun Samdal, Vice-Rector for Education at the University of Bergen, stresses that these are the questions that Winter School participants will have to work on. 鈥淭hrough the week we will challenge our students on what it means to be a European citizen, and how this citizenship is affected through societal changes; from pandemics to global climate changes, or in the development of a diverse society. This is a challenge-based approach to educating critical and engaged European citizens鈥�.
This activity was planned to be held in Bergen but due to the COVID-19 crisis, it is taking place virtually. Each day the Winter School starts with an open plenary lecture running from 09:00 to 11:00.
More information and full programme