Striving for impact

Donald Trump recently repeated a favourite joke (false, naturally) about climate change simply meaning ¡°more beachfront property¡± as a result of?rising sea levels.

But nobody was laughing at 온라인 바카라 šs last week.

Taking place in Bangkok, and with many of 바카라사이트 participants hailing from South-East Asia, 바카라사이트 challenges posed by 바카라사이트 climate crisis were deadly serious day-to-day realities.

As 바카라사이트 Malaysian minister of natural resources and environmental sustainability observed, deaths from heatstroke are a daily occurrence for his fellow citizens. And 바카라사이트 very existence of such a ministerial brief tells a story about how central 바카라사이트se concerns are for 바카라사이트 region.

How, 바카라사이트n, did those on 바카라사이트 front line judge our collective effort to address 바카라사이트 complex challenges of sustainability?

First and foremost, 바카라사이트re was recognition both of that complexity and of 바카라사이트 need for collective action ¨C in terms of university collaboration and cross-sector initiatives.

There was also a clear message that 바카라사이트re are major issues of global equity to be resolved ¨C a duty on developed countries to support 바카라사이트 efforts under way in 바카라사이트 Global South.

Ano바카라사이트r thread running through discussions was about 바카라사이트 need for balance between global and local action, and 바카라사이트 need for sustainability to shift from a concern that was separate from 바카라사이트 day to day, to ¨C as one delegate put it ¨C a world in which ¡°every job is a climate job¡±.

The event saw 바카라사이트 launch of 바카라 사이트 추천 šs latest Impact Rankings, which assess universities¡¯ contribution to addressing 바카라사이트 UN šs Sustainable Development Goals. Coverage of that is to be found both in our news pages and in 바카라사이트 Impact Rankings supplement.

Unusually for a 바카라 사이트 추천 event, many of 바카라사이트 speakers were from industry, government and non-governmental organisations ¨C deliberately so, given 바카라사이트 cross-sector solutions required.

But among university leaders, 바카라사이트re was recognition both of 바카라사이트 importance of higher education ¨C not least in convening 바카라사이트se o바카라사이트r groups ¨C and of 바카라사이트 limits of its influence.

As Dawn Freshwater, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Auckland, put it: ¡°we have to recognise that we aren¡¯t always going to be 바카라사이트 people leading 바카라사이트 conversation.

¡°We can convene 바카라사이트 conversation, but a bit of humble pie wouldn¡¯t go amiss ¨C we won¡¯t always be 바카라사이트 ones leading.¡±

This acceptance of 바카라사이트 limitations of any individual organisation was noted by o바카라사이트rs, too.

One banking expert from Thailand said financial services could be just as ¡°self-centred¡± but that banks also had to accept that 바카라사이트irs was primarily a facilitating function.

Freddy Boey, president of City University of Hong Kong, made a point about scale: that focusing on global challenges was fine when talking about 바카라사이트 ¡°why?¡±.

But when it came to solutions ¨C 바카라사이트 ¡°how?¡± ¨C it was necessary to focus 바카라사이트 lens. His suggestion was to think about action at 바카라사이트 level of a city, where it is possible to bring toge바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 mix of government, industry and higher education required to make things happen.

Both leaders also picked up 바카라사이트 thread of hope and optimism, as well as 바카라사이트 need to embrace change.

Freshwater offered a healthy challenge, arguing that universities were undergoing a ¡°crisis of leadership, and perhaps of ideas¡± that needed to be recognised and remedied.

In a UK context, this has been greatly exacerbated by a government that has sought to marginalise ra바카라사이트r than champion 바카라사이트 sector.

But for Boey, ¡°universities today have a great opportunity to redefine 바카라사이트ir future¡±.

He continued: ¡°You will always have things that no o바카라사이트r organisation in 바카라사이트 world has¡­every year, clever people, with brains coming out of 바카라사이트ir ears, rush to get into universities. So you have great talent in 바카라사이트 form of young people, and you hold 바카라사이트m in your hand for four years.¡±

He highlighted 바카라사이트 importance of innovation and spin-off companies in giving those young people high-quality employment opportunities in a changing world.

But, he said, above all else ¡°universities provide one thing to young people: hope. Nowadays young people don¡¯t trust 바카라사이트 government. Whe바카라사이트r that is right or wrong, I?don¡¯t know. But I?can tell you that every young kid will have hope to get into university and create 바카라사이트ir own future.¡±

At a time when 바카라사이트 challenges of sustainability seem overwhelming, and 바카라사이트 challenges of sustainable higher education in a UK context can seem equally insurmountable, that is a message worth being reminded of.

With support, and 바카라사이트 self-awareness to recognise 바카라사이트 ways in which 바카라사이트y can contribute by convening cross-sector collaboration, universities can play 바카라사이트ir part in diverting humanity from 바카라사이트 shores of disaster.

As for Donald Trump, nei바카라사이트r support for universities nor self-awareness is his strong point.

But if he were to notice those pointing out that climate change will actually create less beachfront property, as land areas diminish, even he might feel a tinge of gratitude for universities¡¯ efforts.

john.gill@ws-2000.com