Georgia Gray Kalis

Georgia completed her Bachelor's degree in Environmental and Geographical Science and English Literature in December 2023, before pursuing an Honours degree (BSc) in Geography in 2024. Her Honours dissertation focussed on geomorphology, examining how fire and rainfall influence landslide formation at sites in Cape Town, with findings applicable to other similar climates and biomes, and she provided mitigation recommendations. 

She is currently completing a Master of Science degree in Environmental and Geographical Science at the University of Cape Town, with a thesis titled "Climate Justice and National Climate Commitments: A Qualitative Analysis of South Africa's 2025 NDC”, supervised by Dr Britta Rennkamp and Dr Melanie Murcott. The thesis applies a qualitative thematic document analysis to the Draft and Final versions of South Africa's 2025 Second NDC, situated against the 2016 and 2021 NDCs and broader local and international scholarship, drawing on ATLAS.ti and interviews and workshops to incorporate perspectives from various social groups, including those who are underrepresented, with a focus on the intersection of law, justice, and climate action in the South African context.

She previously interned with the conservation NGO, “TRAFFIC”, for six months in 2023, investigating global marine wildlife trade through data analysis, and conducted research reports for NGOs including the Australian Marine Conservation Society. This work strengthened her commitment to evidence-based environmental research and policy.

MSc thesis: “Climate Justice and National Climate Commitments: A Qualitative Analysis of South Africa's 2025 NDC”
Publications/articles: none currently, but the MSc thesis “Climate Justice and National Climate Commitments: A Qualitative Analysis of South Africa's 2025 NDC” will be published in due course.