On Wednesday 13th March, the Geography Department took A-Level students from Year 12 and 13 to a lecture at the Royal Geographical Society (RGS). The lecture ‘Beyond sinking islands: climate change geopolitics in the South Pacific’ was led by Dr Liam Saddington of University of Cambridge. This Lecture enabled students to see the current discussions around the vulnerability of low-lying islands that are affected by the climate crisis. It highlighted the importance of political leaders, geopolitics and climate diplomacy in ensuring these low-lying islands do not disappear. Dr Saddington focussed on ‘Tuvalu’, a small island state in the South Pacific. The lecture explored how Tuvaluan climate adaptation and diplomacy has sought to create alternative futures and has become an important actor within international climate governance. Overall, students found it fascinating to see how what they have studied in their Geography A-Level topics such as Carbon Cycles, Coastal Landscapes and Global Systems and Global Governance being discussed in an expert setting! We hope this inspires students to make their own climate pledges and/or pursue further study in the field.
