New project on transforming social inequalities through inclusive climate action

The first research project that brings together two ARUA centres of excellence to work together on the climate-poverty-inequality nexus was launched in July 2020. The Transforming Social Inequalities through Inclusive Climate Action (TSITICA) project is a joint undertaking of ACEIR and the ARUA Centre of Excellence in Climate Development (ARUA-CD), and in partnership with academics from four universities in the United Kingdom. 

The overall goal of the project is to build an African-led transdisciplinary research team that will generate high-quality evidence and understanding of how climate change action can leverage sustainable development outcomes in Africa. The project is made possible through ARUA’s partnership with the Global Challenges Research Fund of UK Research and Innovation that was established in 2018 with the aim to address the Sustainable Development Goals, strengthen Africa-United Kingdom research collaborations, and enhance research capacity across the African and UK research communities.

Members of the TSITICA research team will be publishing a series of working papers that focus on:

• Governance of climate change, social inequality and sustainable livelihoods
• Multi-scale dynamics in inequality data that matter for climate compatible livelihoods
• Future climate response options, portfolios and pathways that leverage SDG co-benefits
• Sustainable livelihood community dynamics and outcomes from climate action
• Distributional impacts of climate action
• Synergies, integration and synthesis

The project is a collaboration between the University of Cape Town (the host of ACEIR and ARUA-CD); the University of Ghana, Legon; the University of Nairobi, Kenya; the University of Bristol, the University of East Anglia; the University of Manchester and the London School of Economics – thus leveraging these institutions’ strengths and networks and supporting relationships. The TSITICA research team comprises scholars with expertise in development economics, livelihoods, poverty and inequality, climate policy and governance, energy and mitigation, and adaptation.

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