UCT Inaugural Lecture of Professor Gina Ziervogel

The University of Cape Town invites you to an inaugural lecture by Professor Gina Ziervogel.

Professor Gina Ziervogel from the Department of Environmental and Geographical Science and Director of the African Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI) will present her inaugural lecture titled “Water under or over the bridge? Governing trade-offs in climate adaptation.”

Date: Wednesday, 12 August 2026
Time: 18:00 SAST
Venue: Lecture Theatre 1, Neville Alexander Building, Lower Campus, UCT

This lecture traces a journey from understanding vulnerability to climate change in Southern Africa to exploring what is needed for more just and transformative adaptation responses. Through the lens of water, particularly drought and flooding, it examines how adaptation plays out in practice through governance and competing development priorities. The lecture unpacks how climate adaptation involves trade-offs across space and time, shaped by capacity, power and priorities. By bringing these tensions to the surface, it highlights how collaborative approaches can contribute to more equitable and transformative ways of responding to climate change.

About the speaker

Gina Ziervogel is a Professor in the Department of Environmental and Geographical Science and Director of the African Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI). Her work focuses on climate vulnerability and adaptation, engaging across scales from communities to government. She has worked extensively with NGOs and all levels of government and has been a lead author on IPCC reports. She has contributed to South Africa’s national, provincial and local climate activities and served on the City of Cape Town’s Water Resilience Advisory Committee. She is a UCT Social Responsiveness awardee, a Fulbright scholar, and participated in the 2023 Homeward Bound Antarctic expedition.