29 OCT 2026 (THU) 13:30-15:00
Updated: 1 hour ago
Ensuring Humanity Thrives on a Rapidly Changing Planet: Cambridge's Whole-System Approach to Environmental Sustainability
Cosponsored by ICCN and Department of Geography, HKU
Date: 29 October 2026 (Thursday)
Time: 13:30-15:00 (HKT)
Venue: Social Sciences Chamber, Faculty of Social Sciences, 11/F, The Jockey Club Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU
Mode: In-person
Registration link: https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?guest=Y&ueid=110121
Abstract:
The environmental sustainability crisis is among the most complex and consequential challenges facing humanity. Climate change, biodiversity loss, food insecurity, air and water pollution, health inequalities and economic transformation are often treated as separate problems, yet they are deeply interconnected dimensions of a larger global challenge. Addressing them requires more than scientific and technological innovation. It demands new forms of collaboration across disciplines, sectors and societies, and stronger connections between knowledge and action. Drawing on the emerging environmental sustainability strategy of the University of Cambridge, this lecture explores how universities can contribute to this challenge through research, education, innovation, policy engagement and global partnership.
Central to Cambridge's vision is the proposition that it benefits from a unique ecosystem which is able to address the environmental crisis as a whole-system challenge. The University's distinctive strength lies in its ability to bring together expertise across the natural sciences, engineering, medicine, social sciences, humanities, law, business and education, while connecting curiosity-led research, discovery and innovation to policy, practice, entrepreneurship and societal impact.
The lecture will introduce six interconnected domains that frame Cambridge's sustainability agenda: securing a just transition for all; securing the world's food future; energy, materials and circularity; nature for people and planet; Earth systems for a safer future; and planetary health. Together, these domains provide a framework for understanding how universities can help address some of the most urgent questions of our time while creating pathways from research to real-world implementation. Drawing on examples from across the Cambridge ecosystem, the lecture will also consider the institutional mechanisms needed to support interdisciplinary collaboration, policy engagement, innovation, education and societal impact.
At a time when the challenge is no longer simply generating knowledge but mobilising it at the speed and scale required, the lecture argues that universities have a unique responsibility as convenors, innovators and trusted partners. The lecture will conclude by reflecting on the importance of global collaboration in advancing environmental sustainability. Institutions such as the University of Cambridge and The University of Hong Kong share a common responsibility to educate future leaders, develop innovative solutions and strengthen the partnerships needed to address challenges that transcend national boundaries. No university can achieve this alone. Progress will depend on networks of institutions working together to co-create the knowledge, leadership and action needed to build more sustainable, resilient and equitable futures.
Professor Bhaskar Vira
Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education, University of Cambridge
Professor Bhaskar Vira, a Fellow of Fitzwilliam College and Head of the Department of Geography, was appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education for three years with effect from 1 October 2022.
Bhaskar Vira studied economics and political economy at the Universities of Delhi and Cambridge. He has taught in the Department of Geography at Cambridge since 1998 and has been Professor of Political Economy since 2017. He is Director of Studies in Geography and Graduate Tutor at Fitzwilliam College, and a Trustee of the Gates Cambridge Trust.
Professor Vira’s research focuses on the changing political economy of development, especially in India; and on political ecology, focusing on forests, wildlife and land-use change and the social and political context for biodiversity conservation. As well as being Founding Director of the University of Cambridge Conservation Research Institute, he is involved in a number of interdisciplinary research networks and centres, including the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, the Centre for Science and Policy and the Global Food Security strategic research initiative. He is leading a major programme on Decent Work and Youth Livelihoods, with a particular focus on the Global South. He was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in 2021.
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education leads the development and implementation of strategy and policy relating to education. Major initiatives that are led by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education currently include: widening access to, and increasing participation in, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes; increasing international student recruitment; and implementing a comprehensive student mental-health and wellbeing strategy. There is also a strong focus at the moment on promoting educational excellence and improving the student experience following the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
