Regional
Headquarters, Jamaica. Friday, November 30, 2019—It
was just two months ago that Professor
Michael Taylor of The University of the West Indies (The UWI),
along with an internationally respected group of scientists, urgently
called on world leaders to accelerate efforts to tackle climate
change in a co-authored article published in Science. 
Now, a video
on The UWI’s climate action work is featured in a multi-university
collaborative project with the International Association of
Universities (IAU) and the BBC Global News.

The
video forms part of a series called ‘Aiming
Higher’
which showcases how universities are instrumental to the development
of sustainable and democratic societies; shaping minds, promoting
diversity, ethical leadership and social responsibility. In light of
increasing global challenges, higher education institutions, like The
UWI, play a key role in leading the societal transformations that
will seek to establish an equilibrium between people, planet,
prosperity and peace. Thirty-four IAU member institutions from all
five continents took
part in
the ambitious project.

The
urgency of responding to climate change has long been a priority for
The UWI. Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Hilary Beckles has noted that
‘The UWI’s scientists
recognised decades ago that climate change, rising sea levels and
ocean temperatures, were an existential threat to the Caribbean,
small island states, and the world’.

The
UWI’s film, ‘Tackling the
Effects of Climate Change’,
focussed on Sargassum seaweed which has caused serious problems for
Caribbean countries. Unprecedented amounts of seaweed
washing up on the shores in
recent years have significantly impacted local hospitality and
fisheries sectors. The film shows how The UWI has been taking action,
helping coastal communities to promote sustainable management.

The
UWI continues to receive global recognition for its world class
research and activism with regard to tackling the effects of climate
change and strengthening the Caribbean’s resilience in the face of
increasing climate impact. In
January, the IAU selected The UWI to be its global leader in the
mobilisation of higher education and research for the achievement of
a climate-smart and resilient world.

Aiming Higher premiered at the IAU's 2019 International Conference earlier this month in Puebla, Mexico. The entire series can be viewed on https://www.iau-aiminghigher.org.

About
The UWI

For
over 70 years The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has
provided service and leadership to the Caribbean region and wider
world. The UWI has evolved from a university college of London in
Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948 to an internationally
respected, regional university with near 50,000 students and five
campuses: Mona in Jamaica,
St. Augustine in Trinidad and
Tobago, Cave Hill in
Barbados, Five Islands
in Antigua and Barbuda and an Open Campus. As part of its robust
globalization agenda, The UWI has established partnering centres with
universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, and Africa
including the State
University of New York (SUNY)-UWI Center for Leadership and
Sustainable Development; the Canada-Caribbean Studies Institute
with Brock University; the Strategic Alliance for Hemispheric
Development with Universidad de los Andes (UNIANDES); the UWI-China
Institute of Information Technology, the University of Lagos
(UNILAG)-UWI Institute of African and Diaspora Studies and the
Institute for Global African Affairs with the University of
Johannesburg (UJ). The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma,
undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food &
Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical
Sciences, Science & Technology, Social Sciences and Sport. 

As
the region’s premier research academy, The UWI’s foremost
objective is driving the growth and development of the regional
economy. The world’s most reputable ranking agency, Times
Higher Education,
has ranked The UWI among the top 600 universities in the world for
2019, and the 40 best universities in Latin America and the Caribbean
for 2018 and 2019.The UWI has been the only Caribbean-based
university to make the prestigious lists.  For more, visit
www.uwi.edu.

About
The IAU

The
International Association of Universities is a membership-led
non-governmental organization working in the field of higher
education. It comprises more than 650 higher education institutions
and organizations in some 130 countries. IAU is an official partner
of UNESCO. The IAU secretariat is based in Paris and is located at
the headquarters of UNESCO.