Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Nomalungelo Gina, has commended the exceptional contributions of South African scientists who continue to play a pivotal role in advancing global understanding of environmental and climate systems.
She said the country’s scientists are not only making key contributions through publishing and sharing their research outputs, but also through participating in the planning and implementation of strategic global change and broader environmental sustainability initiatives.
The Director of Marine, Polar Research and Palaeosciences at the Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI), Dr Gilbert Siko, delivered the Deputy Minister’s remarks during the opening of the 6th National Global Change Conference.
The conference is currently being held at the University of Mpumalanga (UMP) in Mbombela.
Gina emphasised the department’s role in coordinating and managing South Africa’s national system of innovation.
She highlighted the efforts of the DSTI, the National Research Foundation (NRF), and the Global Change Science Committee in developing a platform for the global change community and stakeholders.
This platform aims to facilitate meaningful engagement on issues related to global environmental change and environmental disasters.
The conference is also a space to share experiences, best practices and practical scientific solutions to some of these pervasive challenges and disasters.
The Deputy Minister said that the theme of the conference: “Transformative science for social and economic empowerment in a changing world,” compels attendees to think deeply about global, regional and national societal challenges and the need to work together to address them.
She added that the pace and scale of global change over the past 200 years are unprecedented and that the next half-century will be critical for the long-term survival of human civilisation.
Gina emphasised the need for future research and innovation that focuses on addressing problems such as increased urbanisation, resource harvesting, invasive species, pollution, and rising rates of atmospheric and oceanic carbon dioxide.
The National Global Change Conference is convened every two years under the banner of the Global Change Grand Challenge, one of the five grand challenges of the DSTI’s Ten-Year Innovation Plan.
One of the key conference objectives is to share and discuss current South African research, technology and innovation trends within the global change sphere.
The conference is also an opportunity for postgraduate students and young and emerging researchers to become advocates of change.
These “change agents” are expected to drive a comprehensive knowledge economy and ensure that research benefits society.
UMP’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Internationalisation, Professor Aldo Stroebel, expressed the university’s pride in hosting this significant gathering of scientists, policymakers, thought leaders, and innovators dedicated to understanding and responding to the complex and dynamic environment shaping the changing planet.
“This conference convenes at a time when the world finds itself navigating unprecedented environmental shifts.
“Climate change, biodiversity loss, food insecurity, water scarcity, the energy transition and rising social vulnerability are no longer distant projections but realities for communities across the continent, and particularly within our province,” said Stroebel.
He thanked the DSTI, the NRF and the Mpumalanga Provincial Government for their partnership and continued support, noting that such collaboration strengthens South Africa’s collective capacity to address global environmental challenges.
Stroebel said that the importance of platforms such as the Global Change conference and the work of the Global Change Science Committee and NRF programmes, supported by the DSTI, cannot be overstated as they bring together knowledge systems, methodology and diverse voices.
The four-day conference, which started on Monday, concludes on Thursday, 4 December 2025. – SAnews.gov.za
