Center Organized Workshop on Climate Change
Center for Cross-cutting Issues Training and Consultancy organized half day workshop entitled “Making ECSU Climate Responsive” for ECSU Senate members on December 4, 2018 at ECSU Senate Hall. The workshop was organized with the objective to make the university management bodies responsive and give attention to the climate changes.
On the workshop Dr. Azeb Asefa, consultant for Center for Cross-cutting Issues Training and Consultancy, presented a paper on “climate change in Ethiopia and the role that ECSU should play in climate change and environmental protection.” In her presentation Dr. Azeb said that Ethiopia is one of the most affected countries by climate change in Sub Saharan Africa. She also mentioned temperature rises and heat wave, erratic and variable rainfall, increased frequency and intensity of drought and other issues as indicators of the climate change induced problems in Ethiopia. This climate change affected the country’s agricultural production and caused drying of water body, flooding, and loss of biodiversity and other catastrophes. To manage this problem the country has adopted climate resilient green environment strategy, Dr. Azeb noted.
ECSU aligning with its vision and core values needs to incorporate the issue of climate and environment protection in its day today activities and should strive to become a model for other higher educational institutions by properly managing climate change. It is also expected from ECSU to be an agent for change and transformation and be front runner in addressing social, economic and environmental problems. For this, it is necessary to make both program based and operational intervention. ECSU, in its one hundred days plan will consciously consider the landscape work, land use, types of plants, water consumption and other related issues. Above all things, it is important to bring a behavioral change in entire community of the university to tackle the problem Dr. Azeb underscored.
On the workshop the participants raised different related issues and discussed on the ways to make the university compound and its environment clean. It is learned that the workshop will continues to middle level managers and to the whole community of the university to make the entire community aware the effect of climate change and discharge practically to mitigate the problems.