COP28 Seminar Report: Advancing Scientific Tools and Synergies for Climate Change Risk Assessment in the Asia-Pacific

Seminar Title	Advancing Scientific Tools and Synergies for Climate Change Risk Assessment in the Asia-Pacific
Date & Time	11 December 2023, 4:30pm - 5:45pm (UAE time)
Venue	Hybrid event 　ー In-person: Blue zone, Japan Pavilion, Expo City Dubai, United Arab Emirates 　ー Online: Zoom webinar （Recorded video）

The AP-PLAT seminar, which showcased tools for climate change adaptation and discussed challenges and actionable next steps for tool development, took place on December 11, 2023, at the 28th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP28) in Dubai, UAE. The seminar was part of the Japan Pavilion program.

The seminar began with opening remarks by Ayuko Kobayakawa, Director for International Climate Change Adaptation Planning, Climate Change Adaptation Office Global Environment Bureau, Ministry of the Environment, Japan. During the tool demonstration segment, Yuji Masutomi, Section Head at the National Institute for Environmental Strategies (NIES), introduced ClimoCast, an advanced scientific tool for visualizing climate change projections. He also underscored the importance of developing user-friendly tools to effectively address the challenges faced by those dealing with the impacts of climate change, using the traditional Japanese tool "magonote" (backscratcher) as an analogy. Magonote is employed for relieving an itch in hard-to-reach areas, typically the back. According to Masutomi, ClimoCast serves as a magonote for individuals seeking to understand future temperature and precipitation at a local scale.

As another "magonote" tool, Daisuke Maruichi, Economic Affairs Officer in the Disaster Risk Reduction Section at ESCAP, introduced the Risk and Resilience Portal, which aids in assessing the escalating cascade of risks and potential impacts due to climate change. The portal can identify hazard hotspots under different climate scenarios and estimate economic losses from future hazards.

During the panel discussion, two questions were posed to the panelists: What gaps and needs do you see in existing scientific tools designed to facilitate adaptation to climate change impacts? What are specific, actionable steps to advance scientific tools for adaptation to climate change?

Ahmed Rasheed, Director of Meteorology at the Public Weather Service, Maldives Meteorological Service, discussed the impacts of climate change in the Maldives and stressed the importance of integrating science-based assessments. Karma, Chief of the Cryosphere Services Division at the National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology, Bhutan, pointed out the lack of financial resources to conduct and contextualize science-based impact assessments in Bhutan and many other Asia-Pacific countries. Ofa Kaisamy, Manager of the Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC), discussed current concerns regarding tool development in climate change adaptation, focusing on how to identify tools that help people and the need for capacity development to enable policymakers to utilize these tools in adaptation planning. Noelle O'Brien, Director of Climate Change at the Climate Change and Sustainable Development Department (CCSD), Asian Development Bank (ADB), indicated that, from an investment perspective, it would be crucial to consider how to develop a tool that becomes part of a resilient community. Hyun-gyu Kim, Research Fellow at the Korea Environment Institute (KEI), introduced KEI’s efforts to develop a tool for future climate risk projection in Korea. Sanjay Srivastava, Chief of the Disaster Risk Reduction Section at ESCAP, discussed a successful case study project in Maldives and emphasized the importance of customizing climate projections to aid the government in taking adaptive actions.

NIES and ESCAP, the co-organizers of this seminar, are now moving forward with the next steps in tool development for adaptation in the Asia-Pacific. A Memorandum of Agreement will be concluded to enable Asia-Pacific countries to customize climate risk projections with high-resolution data.

We sincerely appreciate all participants of the seminar and hope that this will strengthen cooperation among stakeholders involved in climate change adaptation in the Asia-Pacific region.

(Posted : 09/Feb/2024)