Debra Roberts
{{short description|South African civil servant}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Debra Roberts
| nationality = South African
| occupation = Head of Sustainable and Resilient City Initiatives Unit, eThekwini Municipality (Durban, South Africa){{cite web | title=Debra Roberts, IPCC profiles | url=https://www.ipcc.ch/people/debra-roberts/ | accessdate=17 March 2025}}
| known_for = IPCC Co-Chair in Working Group II
| education = University of KwaZulu-Natal (PhD)
| honors = Honorary Professor at University of KwaZulu-Natal,
Apolicital's [https://www.ipcc.ch/2019/03/20/2019-world-100-most-influential/ top 100 most influential people in Climate Change policy] (2019).
}}
Debra C. Roberts is a South African scientist and one of the six co-chairs of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. She was elected co-chair of Working Group II for the sixth assessment in 2015.
She is head of the Sustainable and Resilient City Initiatives Unit in eThekwini Municipality (Durban, South Africa).
Education and career
Roberts has a PhD in Urban Biogeography from the (then) University of Natal, South Africa (1991), later consolidated to the University of KwaZulu-Natal. After working as a post-doctoral researcher, she joined local government in 1994.{{cite web|title=The Carbon Brief Interview: Debra Roberts|url=https://www.carbonbrief.org/the-carbon-brief-interview-debra-roberts|work=Carbon Brief|date=18 May 2016|first=Robert|last=McSweeney}} She established the Environmental Planning and Climate Protection Department of eThekwini Municipality (Durban, South Africa) which she led from 1994 to 2016. In 2016 she was appointed to establish the Sustainable and Resilient City Initiatives Unit in Durban and is the city’s first Chief Resilience Officer.{{cite web |url=https://public-old.wmo.int/en/resources/gender-equality/women-weather-water-and-climate/debra-roberts|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218165938/https://public-old.wmo.int/en/resources/gender-equality/women-weather-water-and-climate/debra-roberts|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 December 2023|title= Debra Roberts |work=Women in weather, water and climate|date= 28 November 2017 |publisher=World Meteorological Organisation | accessdate=12 December 2019}} She is a part time professor at the University of Twente.{{cite web | url=https://www.utwente.nl/en/news/2023/6/998711/debra-roberts-appointed-as-parttime-professor-at-itc|title= Debra Roberts appointed as parttime professor at ITC | accessdate=8 June 2023| date=6 June 2023}}
IPCC work
She was a lead author of Chapter 8 (Urban Areas) of Working Group II of the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report and was elected as Co-Chair of Working Group II for the IPCC’s sixth assessment cycle in 2015.{{cite web |url=https://www.icca2019.org/debra-roberts/ |publisher=International Conference on Climate Action 2019 |title=Dr. Debra Roberts, Co-Chair Working Group II Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change |work=Speakers & contributors |accessdate=12 December 2019 |archive-date=12 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212151710/https://www.icca2019.org/debra-roberts/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=https://www.ipcc.ch/people/debra-roberts/ |publisher=IPCC|title= Debra Roberts: Co-Chair, Working Group II |accessdate=12 December 2019}}
She was also a lead author of the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C.{{cite web|url=https://www.theclimategroup.org/news/five-women-who-are-getting-stuff-done-climate|title=Dr Debra Roberts, Durban climate lead and IPCC lead author|work=Five women who are getting stuff done for the environment|publisher=The Climate Group|first=Helen|last=Clarkson|date=8 March 2019|access-date=14 December 2019|archive-date=14 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214214027/https://www.theclimategroup.org/news/five-women-who-are-getting-stuff-done-climate|url-status=dead}}
Recognition
In 2014, the AfriCAN Climate Consortium gave Roberts their AfriCAN Climate Research Award.{{cite web|title=Climate Change Award for Dr Debra Roberts|url=http://www.durban.gov.za/Resource_Centre/Press_Releases/Pages/Climate-Change-Award-for-Dr-Debra-Roberts.aspx|publisher=eThekwini Municipality|access-date=14 December 2019|archive-date=14 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214214423/http://www.durban.gov.za/Resource_Centre/Press_Releases/Pages/Climate-Change-Award-for-Dr-Debra-Roberts.aspx|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Dr Debra Roberts receives AfriCAN Climate Research Award|publisher=Green Africa Directory|date=29 April 2014|url=http://www.greenafricadirectory.org/dr-debra-roberts-receives-african-climate-research-award/}}
She was the 2016 Barbara Ward Lecturer of the International Institute for Environment and Development.{{cite web|title=Champion of urban climate action to deliver IIED's 2016 Barbara Ward Lecture|publisher=International Institute for Environment and Development|date=19 July 2016|url=https://www.iied.org/champion-urban-climate-action-deliver-iieds-2016-barbara-ward-lecture}} She is an honorary professor of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and was listed in 2019 by public servant organization Apolitical as one of the 100 most influential people in climate change in the world.{{cite web|url=http://ndabaonline.ukzn.ac.za/UkzndabaStory/Vol7-Issue8/Durbans%20Debra%20Roberts%20Named%20One%20of%20the%20Worlds%20Most%20Influential%20People%20in%20Climate%20Policy/|title=Alumna Makes Apolito's Most Influential People List|publisher=University of KwaZulu-Natal|work=UKZNDABA online|date=28 March 2019}} She received honorary doctorates from the University of Twente in 2022{{Cite web |title=Sixtieth Dies Natalis: patience is being rewarded |url=https://www.utwente.nl/en/news/2022/5/643363/sixtieth-dies-natalis-patience-is-being-rewarded |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=Universiteit Twente |language=en-GB}} and from the University of Cape Town in 2023.{{Cite web |title=Honorary doctorate for climate change champion – Deborah Roberts |url=http://www.news.uct.ac.za/article/-2023-03-29-honorary-doctorate-for-climate-change-champion-deborah-roberts |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=www.news.uct.ac.za |language=en}}
References
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External links
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Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:South African climatologists
Category:21st-century South African women scientists
Category:South African civil servants
Category:South African women civil servants
Category:University of Natal alumni
Category:Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change lead authors