By AIT RRC.AP
31 May 2023 – The Asian Institute of Technology’s Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific (AIT RRC.AP) successfully organized the “Regional Training Workshop on Climate Adaptation Tools” from 29 – 31 May 2023. The event was organized with financial support from the Ministry of Environment of Japan (MoEJ) and in collaboration with the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), University of Tsukuba, and Hitachi, Ltd., Japan.
The Three-day training workshop aimed to build a regional effort to understand and predict the local implications of climate change based on state-of-the-science climate modeling as well as translating climate projection results into innovative and results-driven interventions and practices on the ground. The workshop was attended by 20 participants, including government officials, representatives from the ministry, researchers from government and private sectors, and research institutions from the Philippines, Bangladesh, Japan, Nepal, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India.
Prof. Kazuo Yamamoto, AIT President in his opening remarks stressed that the adverse effects of climate change are impacting the world on all fronts and adaptation actions are urgently needed. He emphasized that the climate adaptation tools presented in the training workshop allow practitioners to evaluate local climate scenarios without having highly specialized technical skills. He further noted that the generated data by these tools can be utilized in assessing the impact, vulnerability, and adaptability to climate change.
Mr. Orita Tomonori, Climate Change Adaptation Specialist from Global Environment Bureau, Ministry of the Environment, Japan, said that the MoEJ has developed the adaptation tools to overcome the barriers of adaptation measures in vulnerable countries and to empower both government officials and those who tackle the adaptation issues on the ground. He encouraged all participants to seize this opportunity to address local adaptation issues in their respective countries.
Dr. Guilberto Borongan, Director of AIT RRC.AP, emphasized the unprecedented environmental changes that are affecting ecosystems, economies, and the well-being of communities globally. He highlighted the significance of the workshop as an important step forward in the collective journey toward a more sustainable and climate-resilient future by unlocking the potential for transformative change and equipping participants with adaptation tools. This was followed by opening remarks from Mr. Orita Tomonori.
The training workshop continued with a lecture and hands-on session on ClimoCast, an online tool for climate forecasting by Dr. Masutomi Yuji, Head of Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Research Section, Center for Climate Change Adaptation, NIES. Participants gained an understanding of the importance of accurate climate predictions and had the opportunity to explore ClimoCast’s features, enabling them to access climate data and make informed decisions.
The workshop also covered S8DS by Prof. Hiroyuki Kusaka from the University of Tsukuba, Japan and Mr. Shusaku Nakamura, Technical Manager, Pacific Consultants Co., Ltd., Japan. (virtually), highlighting the significance of downscaling techniques for analyzing regional and local climatic data. Participants utilized the S8DS tool to interpret downscaled data and enhance the accuracy of climate projections for their areas.
The final session focused on FloodS, a flood forecasting tool for climate change adaptation presented by Dr. Satoshi Yamaguchi, Chief Researcher, Research & Development Group, Hitachi, Ltd., Japan. Participants discovered how to leverage FloodS to assess flood vulnerabilities, develop early warning systems, and implement effective adaptation measures. Through hands-on exercises, participants gained valuable insights into flood-prone areas in their regions and proposed potential adaptation solutions.
The training workshop concluded with a series of presentations, wherein participants shared their findings and proposed adaptation solutions for their regions by developing project concept ideas. The presentations highlighted the practical implementation of climate adaptation measures tailored to the specific needs of each region, drawing upon the insights gained from the workshop’s climate adaptation tools.
The final day of the training workshop included a certificate award ceremony, where all participants were recognized for completing the workshop.
