Event

29.08.2013 - 30.08.2013

International Conference: Adaptation and Loss and Damage Associated with Climate Change in Asia Pacific: Integrating Scientific Aspects

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International climate change conference participants look to develop scientific understanding of climate change adaptation and loss and damage

Over 100 scientists and climate change practitioners from 24 countries across the world gathered to begin developing a scientific understanding of adaptation and loss and damage as it relates to climate change.

At the “International Conference on Adaptation and Loss and Damage Associated with Climate Change in the Asia Pacific: Integrating Scientific Aspect” held on 30-31 August 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand, participants addressed some of the key issues in understanding loss and damage, including the limits for effective adaptation to climate impacts, assessment methodologies, and coping with the uncertainties involved in climate projections. Conference participants exchanged scientific knowledge and experience from disaster management and climate change adaptation that respond to climate change impacts. The exchange sought to provide useful information to address loss and damage based on current scientific understanding. The conference also provided an important platform for scientists and practitioners to begin developing appropriate pathways to understand loss and damage. Other key issues participants discussed included the role of financial tools in managing loss and damage, the lessons on loss and damage from recent extreme weather events in Bangladesh, the Philippines, Thailand, Japan etc., and the implications of loss and damage to planning and implementing community based adaptation. In terms of scientific understanding, the ensued discussions highlighted the need for greater efforts to resolve issues related to resolution of the current global climate models, scale issues related to predicting extreme events particularly that of multi-variable extreme events, attribution of changes in extremes and investments in data collection, archival and sharing so that the data shared can be used for shaping appropriate policy actions.

In summary, it was recognized that Climate Compatible Development is where the three areas of mitigation, adaptation and sustainable development intersect. It was also suggested that APAN’s future work should include sharing experiences and applying good practices, such as those of Bangladesh and of other countries which were presented during the Conference to all participants.  The need and importance of knowledge and data sharing among scientists and stakeholders, as well as cooperation among other knowledge networks were recognized as being significant.

The international conference was funded by Ministry of the Environment of Japan and jointly organised by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Asia Pacific Adaptation Network (APAN), the United Nations Environment Programme Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (UNEP-ROAP), and other partners.

For more information, visit: http://www.asiapacificadapt.net/loss-and-damage-2013 or contact: info@adaptasiapacific.net

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  • conference
  • Loss and damage