We are thrilled to announce the second What Works Climate Solutions (WWCS) Summit will be hosted by the African Synthesis Centre for Climate Change, Environment and Development (ASCEND) at the University of Cape Town (UCT) — 13–16 April 2027.
The WWCS Summit is the leading conference for evidence-based climate policy — bringing together scientists, policymakers, practitioners, funders, and the institutions that turn evidence into action. It aims to promote and catalyse rigorous evidence on climate solutions for more effective and equitable climate policies, particularly for those most vulnerable in the Global South.
Building on the momentum of the inaugural summit in Berlin — which drew more than 330 participants from 50 countries and was recognised by Nature, The Economist, and the BMJ as the first international conference for evidence synthesis in climate policy — the Cape Town summit marks a new chapter.
“Climate solutions must work for the Global South. Rotating the Summit across continents ensures diverse perspectives are more fully represented in this global effort. Cape Town will strengthen equitable participation in shaping effective climate solutions from local to global scales,” says Christopher Trisos, Director of ASCEND.
“A synthesis-centred approach is a timely and valuable intervention. It creates opportunities to bring together knowledge from different disciplines, alongside insights from practitioners and policymakers, to generate more nuanced evidence and improve real-world climate solutions,” says Aditi Mukherji, Principal Scientist at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future dedicated to transforming food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis.
Before the inaugural WWCS Summit in Berlin, there was no platform, no brand, no network. The event itself became the evidence of need. Today, What Works Climate Solutions has grown into a community of more than 2,700 across the globe — and it continues to expand. Cape Town is not simply the next stop. It is proof that this movement is scaling.
“The climate crisis does not wait. And neither can the evidence to tackle it,” says Jan Minx, Head of the Evidence for Climate Solutions working group at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, adding the 2027 Summit will launch the largest evidence bank on what works in climate solutions.
The 2027 Summit will be held over 3.5 days (13–16 April) at the UCT Graduate School of Business with additional capacity building activities in evidence-based methods. It aims to provide platforms for learning about what works, for shaping the global climate solutions discourse, and to increase participation of early career researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from across the Global South.
Bursary funding is being developed to support participation from the Global South and early career researchers.
What’s next
We will soon open the call for abstracts for the WWCS Summit in 2027, along with announcing steering committee members, keynote speakers and opportunities to engage with our community and make the summit another important milestone on the path to embedding rigorous evidence at the heart of solutions to the climate crisis.
WWCS Summit in the news
“Researchers are developing a bold plan to tackle one of the most urgent challenges in climate science: working out the most effective ways to tackle climate change.” — Nature, 2024
“The summit came at a critical time… This community of researchers, funders, decision makers and civil society must now work together to synthesise and use the best available evidence, and generate new insights to understand and deliver what works for both climate and health.” — BMJ, 2024
“The first international conference for evidence synthesis in climate policy.” — The Economist, 2024
About ASCEND and WWCS
ASCEND, based at the African Climate and Development Initiative, is a synthesis centre that provides specialised infrastructure for transdisciplinary teamwork on climate change and development challenges across Africa and globally. By bringing together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to integrate diverse data and knowledge, ASCEND supports solutions-focused research that helps drive more equitable and effective climate action for vulnerable people and places. Learn more about ASCEND here.
WWCS is a community-driven initiative by climate change researchers, decision-makers and evidence synthesis enthusiasts. It promotes and catalyzes rigorous evidence on what climate solutions work for evidence-based climate policy. Learn more about WWCS here.
