Kalia Ruth Barkai

Kalia Ruth Barkai is a PhD student from South Africa, supported by the DAAD. In 2023/2024, Kalia spent a year at the University of Potsdam as a German Chancellor Fellow where she researched a just typology to better understand human mobility due to climate change. From 2021 to 2023, she pursued a master's degree in Climate Change and Sustainable Development at the African Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI) of the University of Cape Town. During her studies, Kalia assisted the ACDI with research projects, including exploring the suitability of climate-resilient development pathways for South Africa's Presidential Climate Commission. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Computational Sciences and Social Sciences from Minerva University.

Kalia's primary research interests focus on climate justice and international policymaking. Specifically, she is interested in equity in adaptation and loss and damage, with a focus on human displacement due to climate change. As a PhD student, her research will continue to explore the gap in international policymaking for addressing human mobility as a result of climate change.

Publications: 

Barkai, K.R., Winkler, H. (2024) Developing a framework for assessing equity in national contributions to the global goal on adaptation. International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10784-024-09660-y

 
Taylor, A., Methner, N., Barkai, K. R., McClure, A., Jack, C., New, M., & Ziervogel, G. (2023). Operationalising climate-resilient development pathways in the Global South. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 64, 101328. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2023.101328