Sappi Launches Chair In Climate Change And Plantation Sustainability With Wits University
Sappi Launches Chair In Climate Change And Plantation Sustainability With Wits University. Sappi Southern Africa and the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) are pleased to announce the launch of the Sappi chair in climate change and plantation sustainability.
In celebration of World Environment Day, this initiative aligns with Sappi’s drive to generate technical and operational solutions which mitigate against climate change risks and to enhance reporting on carbon emissions, climate change and sustainability. Professor Mary Scholes, who is an internationally recognised authority on tree physiology and climate change and who is affiliated with the research platform in the Wits School of Animal, Plants and Environmental Sciences, will act as the research chair.
Through the research chair, Professor Scholes is identifying critical research needs and developing research outputs related to climate change, which is one of the university’s eight research priorities. She will also lead the development of capacity to manipulate and interpret climate modelling data. The chair will further focus on developing and mentoring young and upcoming academics and research, through the funding for one post-doctoral fellow as well as bursaries for one masters and one honours student.
Speaking at the launch, Tracy Wessels, Sappi group head of sustainability and investor relations, commented: “The creation of this chair demonstrates Sappi’s commitment to building a thriving world through strong partnerships, supporting innovation and investing in future research capabilities.”
“Our association with Wits is not new: In 2020, we began working on a project with other industry members and the Wits Global Change Institute on a project which involved the generation of raster – a rectangular pattern of parallel scanning lines followed by the electron beam on a television screen or computer monitor – climate surfaces for the entire forestry domain of South Africa, at a resolution of eight kilometres, with monthly time resolution, for the years 2020, 2030 and 2040 to 2100. We are looking forward to progressing our understanding of, and actions related to, climate change through replicable, workable methodologies.” said Professor Scholes.
The work by Wits will help to enhance Sappi’s planning process and overall competitiveness. “Because forestry is a long-term crop, the industry needs to know well in advance where to direct their resources and investment and needs the most accurate climate models to rely on,” Scholes added.
