Inauguration of the 2019/20 academic year

Professor Mercedes Pardo-Buendía, expert sociologist in climate change, offered a master lecture at the UAB's official inauguration of the 2019/20 academic year. The event took place on Wednesday 18 September at 12 noon, at the conference hall of the Rectorat building.

29/08/2019

Before giving the master lecture which officially opens the academic year, Genereal Secretary of the UAB Rafael Rebollo presented the annual report of the 2018/19 academic year, with the most important events and activities the UAB conducted in the past year.

Following, sociology professor Mercedes Pardo-Buendía from the University Carlos III Madrid (UC3M) and director of the research group on Sociology in Climate Change and Sustainable Development offered the inaugural speech entitled Cambio climático: entre el colapso y la metamorfosis social. Perspectiva sociológica [Climate Change: between collapse and social metamorphosis. A Sociological Perspective].

Professor Mercedes Pardo-Buendía has held many positions within the academic field: she has been member of the ANECA's Social Sciences and Law Evaluations Committee and member of the Committee for Sustainability of the UC3M.

The UAB recently adhered to the Declaration of Climate Emergency following an initiative of the UAB Ecologist Assembly, which drafted an open letter addressed to the whole of the university community, stating the responsibility of universities to act as “speakers of the country's scientific community” and alert about this crisis.

For this reason, the UAB has decided to declare the state of climatic emergency and make this crisis into the new motto for the university's FMUAB19 festival, which in its latest editions has become an awareness-raising event in all environmental-related issues. The festival will organise a series of activities and actions which will be worked on with all of the university community. This year's motto is “Emergència climàtica: la UAB actua!” [Climate Emergency; the UAB takes action!].

Following the speech on climate change, a musical performance was offered by the UAB Choir, directed by Poire Vallvé. The event ended with speeches by President of the UAB Social Council Gabriel Masfurroll, Mayor of Cerdanyola del Vallès Carlos Cordón, and Rector of the UAB Margarita Arboix.

Gaudeamus Igitur was performed by the UAB Choir and closed the inauguration of the new academic year at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.