The US decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement has raised questions about whether progress can still be made on global policy to mitigate climate change. To explore these questions, Imraan Valodia, pro vice-chancellor: climate, sustainability and inequality and director of the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, spoke to Professor Sir David King, who founded the Climate Crisis Advisory Group, a collection of influential, diverse, and interdisciplinary climate experts.
Sir David was born in South Africa. His resistance to apartheid eventually forced him to leave the country, an experience that instilled in him a lifelong understanding of inequality and the need for systemic change. In London he immersed himself in scientific research, ultimately becoming professor of physical chemistry and head of chemistry at Cambridge. In 2000 he was appointed chief scientific adviser to the UK government, a position he held until 2007. He answered some questions from The Conversation Africa.
