NEWS

Bangkok – The Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum 2010 was successfully organized on 21 and 22 October at the UNCC building.

Bangkok – The Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum 2010 was successfully organized by the Regional Climate Change Adaptation Knowledge Platform for Asia and the Asia Pacific Adaptation Network (APAN), with the support of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Swedish Environmental Secretariat for Asia (SENSA), the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), the Asian Institute of Technology – UNEP Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific (AIT-UNEP RRC.AP), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Ministry of Environment of Japan (MoEJ), and the Institute of Global Environment Strategies (IGES) on 21 and 22 October at the United Nations Conference Center (UNCC) building.

The Adaptation Forum 2010 was opened by Young-Woo Park, Regional Director and Representative for Asia and the Pacific for UNEP, who reminded the audience that responding to climate change – “the defining issue of our time” – was particularly critical for developing countries and the Asia-Pacific region. 

This was followed by a video message from UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, who emphasized building resilience, the centrality of science to effective adaptation programming, and the power of partnerships.  “Adaptation is not the poor cousin of climate change mitigation,” said the Executive Director, who forcefully argued for moving forward together on both adaptation and mitigation.  “We have to build the strength to deal with change,” he said.

H.E. Virachai Virameteekul, the Minister of Science and Technology for Thailand called for cooperation of all countries to combat climate change quoting, “If you want to go somewhere fast, you go alone; if you want to go far, then we go together”

H.E. Staffan Tillander, the Swedish Climate Ambassador emphasized on the unique and important role that United Nations has to play in handling complex issue like climate change. He also added, “UN must be strong, efficient and united, working as ‘One UN’ at country level, drawing on its strength and comparative advantage in different areas and supporting public and private institutions at different levels”. In conclusion, he said, “All adaptation programmes should be integrated into national development policies. We need to start by enhancing and strengthening our existing coping capacities not only for climate adaptation but also for climate resilience which is the key to address the impacts of climate change”.

H.E. Faumunia Tiatia Liuga, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment for Samoa, gave the Forum a “perspective from the Pacific”, reiterating the need for mainstreaming adaptation into national development plans and for technical capacity development.  “Meetings such as this are a thing of the past,” he told the Forum.  “It’s time to take action.”

Ursula Schaefer-Preuss, Vice President of Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) pointed out that 80 percent of people affected by natural disasters live in the Asia-Pacific region.  Without adaptation responses, climate change is expected to seriously impact the region’s growth, development gains and progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), she said. 

Saleemul Huq of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) remarked at the close of the forum’s first day: “We are just at the beginning of what is going to be a very long journey.  Adaptation policy and practice is at the nursery [school] stage.  There are no experts – but we are beginning to ask the right questions.”

The first day concluded with three launches from the partner organizations. First was the launch of the “Asia Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Knowledge Portal” by Anders Granlund, followed by the launch of “Climate Proof – A Four Step Guide for Coastal Projects” by UNEP and Mangroves for the Future (MFF), and “Mega City Climate Change Adaptation Study” by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

While the first day of the forum focused on general approaches and large-scale financing of climate change adaptation, the second day concentrated on the details of adaptation governance, mainstreaming adaptation into development planning, and the importance of effective knowledge management.

The practical uses of adaptation were introduced early in the day, with a panel that included Governor Joey Salceda of the Philippines’ Albay Province – a local government with a reputation for innovative thinking on climate issues.  Governor Salceda pointed out that although Typhoon Megi, which had just hit the Philippines, was the largest storm in the area for four years, good planning and mobilization of civil society and the media had helped reduce casualties to a minimum.  “And 72 percent of the [donor] response was local,” the governor said.

The second day morning’s other speakers emphasized the central importance of working with governments – at both the local and national level – if climate change adaptation is to get off the ground. 

Governments in the region “want less studies and more support,” said Nicholas Rosellini, UNDP Regional Bureau Director for Asia and the Pacific, listing as examples of support building institutional capacity, on-the-ground action, and experience-based learning.  He also added by saying, “The adaptation to climate change has a ‘human face’ with the potential to significantly affect MDG outcomes. So it is one of also one of the central themes of the coming Asia Pacific Regional Human Development Report on Climate Change (2011)”

“If we don’t work with government planners, we will be a cottage industry,” said Darren Swanson of the International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD), Canada. “Lots of talk and consulting, but no adapting.”

Ancha Srinivasan of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) pointed out that many local governments in the region may not yet be able to understand or implement adaptation planning, and that it was important to take into account local priorities.  He also focused on the issue of “maladaptation”, noting that while development agencies’ intentions may be good, “how are we sure that we are not increasing vulnerability through our interventions?”  He gave as an example promotion of shrimp farming in South Asia, which had increased salinity and made freshwater scarce in coastal areas.

Charles Ehrhart, Climate Change Coordinator for CARE International’s Centre of Expertise on Poverty, Environment and Climate Change, stressed the need for participation, transparency and accountability in the planning process.  He also urged caution when mainstreaming climate change adaptation to ensure that it becomes a shared responsibility across sectors, rather than “no one’s responsibility”.

The second day ended with a recapitulation of the main themes of the forum and some important questions to the audience by Dr. Louis Lebel of Thailand’s Chiang Mai University. Besides defining climate change adaptation itself, the main themes identified were: how best to mainstream adaptation into development, how to improve knowledge-sharing among stakeholders, and how climate change adaptation should be financed and governed.  Dr. Lebel noted that there might be times when “mainstreaming” would not be the best approach and that adaptation response needs to be a practice in and of itself. He also reiterated one of the key messages of the first day: that adaptation will need to be planned and implemented with the best knowledge available, but in the absence of scientific certainty.

In total, there were 549 policymakers, scientists, representatives of Asia-Pacific governments and representatives from bilateral and multilateral donors who participated at the Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum 2010 from 38 countries.  The consensus was that as well as being one of the largest adaptation events ever, it also represented a new stage in the conversation among governments, experts, donors, scientists and communities to help the Asia-Pacific region prepare for and manage the large-scale effects of climate change. The event marked a watershed in new approaches to climate change adaptation.