Opinion piece by Dr Laura Amoah
Each disaster leaves behind damaged infrastructure and disrupted livelihoods, with communities taking years to recover.
While climate change profoundly impacts the country, many South African universities still primarily respond through conferences, research papers, and awareness campaigns. Although these efforts are important, they are no longer sufficient.
Universities are uniquely positioned to lead South Africa's climate response. They educate future leaders, produce research that informs policy, and engage directly with communities through teaching, innovation, and public outreach.
However, many institutions remain focused on theory. While sustainability strategies and climate seminars are valuable, real climate action requires visible, measurable changes that go beyond campus boundaries.
This contradiction is striking. Universities advocate for sustainable development, yet many still waste water, consume excessive electricity, rely on single-use plastics, and miss opportunities to transform their campuses into living examples of sustainability.
Students are encouraged to become environmental leaders, but many graduate without witnessing effective sustainability practices at their own institutions.
Leadership starts with setting an example.
Universities at the Centre of South Africa's Climate Action – Author's illustration (2026)
Imagine every university becoming a model of climate resilience. Campuses could increasingly rely on renewable energy, harvest rainwater, improve energy efficiency, recycle waste, and restore biodiversity through indigenous landscaping.
Students could engage in projects that tackle environmental challenges in their surrounding communities while gaining practical experience. These goals are achievable. Universities around the world have demonstrated that campuses can become centres of sustainable innovation.
South Africa has the expertise to do the same, but what is often lacking is a sense of urgency. Climate change is no longer just an environmental issue; it impacts food security, tourism, public health, municipal finances, and economic development. Therefore, climate education cannot remain confined to environmental science departments.
Future engineers will design resilient infrastructure, lawyers will interpret environmental legislation, journalists will communicate climate risks, teachers will educate the next generations, and business leaders will make investment decisions increasingly influenced by climate-related risks. Every graduate, regardless of their field, should leave university with a practical understanding of how climate change will affect their profession.
Equally important is ensuring that university research reaches those who need it most. South African universities produce internationally respected research on climate adaptation, water security, renewable energy, and sustainable development. Yet much of this knowledge remains locked behind academic journals and technical reports that rarely reach municipalities, community organisations, or small businesses. Knowledge that does not leave the university cannot change society.
Imagine if municipalities across South Africa had direct access to university expertise on climate adaptation, flood risk management, water conservation, and sustainable infrastructure. Imagine if community organisations collaborated with universities to implement practical climate solutions before disasters strike, rather than responding after the fact.
This is the role higher education should embrace. There is another compelling reason why universities must take the lead: South Africa's transition to a greener economy depends on innovation. Industries such as renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, green construction, and the circular economy require graduates capable of transforming research into practical solutions and new enterprises.
Therefore, universities should become incubators for green entrepreneurship, helping students develop businesses that create jobs while addressing environmental challenges. Climate action is not only about protecting ecosystems; it is also about strengthening the economy.
The World Economic Forum has consistently identified climate-related risks as one of the greatest threats facing global economies. Countries that prepare their workforce for a green economy will be better positioned to attract investment, stimulate innovation, and remain competitive. South Africa cannot afford to fall behind.
While universities cannot solve the climate crisis alone, government, industry, and communities all have important roles to play. However, universities should lead these partnerships because they uniquely combine research, innovation, and education.
History shows that universities have often driven social transformation. They have advanced scientific discovery, challenged injustice, and shaped national conversations during critical moments. Climate change presents yet another defining challenge.
The question is no longer whether universities should be involved; they already are. The real question is whether they are prepared to become engines of climate solutions rather than just venues where climate change is discussed.
South Africa's future will be shaped not only in Parliament or at international climate summits, but also in lecture halls, laboratories, and university campuses. The time has come for universities to lead by example, not for the sake of institutional reputation, but because the resilience of our communities, economy, and environment depends on it.
Dr Laura Novienyo Abla Amoah is a lecturer in the Department of Development Studies at Nelson Mandela University. Her teaching and research focus on maritime development, sustainable port management, the blue economy and environmental sustainability. The views expressed in her work are her own.
This article was published in The Herald on 3 August 2026