The Climate System Analysis Group at the University of Cape Town is a unique research group within Africa. We have an eclectic mix of specialties, but most importantly we put the needs of developing nation users at the forefront of everything we do. As a result, CSAG seeks to apply our core research to meet the knowledge needs of responding to climate variability and change.
(The paradox of this post is that it is probably not purely objective) “One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit. Everyone knows this. Each of us contributes his share. But we tend to take the situation for granted. Most people are rather confident of their ability… Read more »
Chief Scientific Officer: Applied Climate Science (closing 27 August) For more details please see the University of Cape Town website here
Teaching, learning, and collaboration can be very challenging tasks, complicated by the fact that doing any of them well is often pretty much impossible if you aren’t attempting the other two at the same time. They also essentially define the job description for any project I’ve seen the research group be involved in. So in… Read more »
After Graduation, one feels a sense of accomplishment, yet at the same time, there are various questions one thinks about. Now what? Am I ready to enter the workforce? Do I have the qualifications to acquire an entry level job? These questions rushed around inside my head as I contemplated my next move. After I moved back home… Read more »
When did climate science research become about what the user wants? When did climate science start having an interested “user”? A quick google of the definition of “research”: the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions. Nowhere in that definition does it mention that… Read more »
The Climate System Analysis Group (CSAG) in the Department of Environmental & Geographical Science at the University of Cape Town, South Africa is seeking to appoint two Research Officers.
A possible new global agreement on climate change will be discussed this December in Paris. Over 190 nations will be represented at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); an event that has been described by many as the “largest diplomatic event ever hosted by France and one of the largest climate conferences… Read more »
It’s not about the climate. There I’ve said it. Whenever I speak to or read about farmers, it’s very clear – they know plenty about climate and they know plenty about weather…and it can be summed up by “it’s changeable”. Of course they can’t accurately predict drought or wet years, but they know they will… Read more »
There have been some interesting conversations at CSAG lately about the importance of paying attention to the rhetoric and framing we use in some of our ongoing discussions and investigations, but balanced against the importance of doing this without getting trapped by our metaphors, and/or evaluating what we do/have by how well it maps to… Read more »