PROJECT #2000-03
Training Institute on Climate and Society in the Asia-Pacific
| Project Leader |
Eileen L. SHEA
East-West Center
1601 East-West Road
Honolulu, HI 96848-1601
USA
Tel: +1-808-944-7253
Fax: +1-808-944-7298
Email: sheae@ewc.hawaii.edu
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| Funding |
US $69,300
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| Participating countries |
Australia, Bangladesh, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, India, Indonesia,
Pakistan, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.
In addition, resources from the NOAA Office of Global Programs were used
to support a highly qualified participant from Ethiopia.
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Introduction/Background
A three-week Training Institute on Climate Variability and Society
in the Asia-Pacific Region was held at the East-West Center facilities
in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA from 5-23 February 2001. The Training Institute
was designed to achieve the following objectives:
- Increase understanding of the impacts of climate variability and change
on communities, private enterprise and natural resources in the Asia-Pacific
Region;
- Review climate prediction and assessment capabilities and explore
the applications of those tools and techniques to support decision making
in the Asia-Pacific Region;
- Explore regionally relevant and appropriate options for adaptation,
mitigation and capacity building related to climate variability and change;
- Enhance the currently-limited cadre of individuals in the Asia-Pacific
region knowledgeable about emerging climate predictive capabilities and
applications tools which, potentially, could yield substantial economic
and societal benefits in a variety of sectors with a specific focus on
agriculture; and
- Enhance the dialogue between the scientific community, opinion leaders
and decision makers concerned with responding to the societal challenges
of climate variability and change in the Asia-Pacific region.
Twenty participants were selected through a competitive process from
universities, research and educational institutions, non-governmental organizations,
government agencies, and private-sector enterprises throughout the Asia-Pacific
region. In addition to scientific and educational qualifications,
selection criteria included the likelihood of participants directly applying
new skills in their work (e.g., climate researchers, forecasters and resource
managers) and leveraging opportunities for wider dissemination of institute
information products (e.g., university educators and non-governmental organizations).
In addition to the aforementioned APN funding, additional support came
from the International START Secretariat; the Office of Global Programs
of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and the International
Pacific Research Center of the University of Hawaii. The East-West Center
provided matching contributions in the form of personnel costs and reduced
indirect rates. The University of Waikato's International Global Change
Institute and the International Research Institute for Climate Prediction
of Columbia University provided in-kind contributions of scientific staff
time and training materials.
Outline of activities conducted
The Training Institute was organized as an intensive, three-week program
of lectures, small working group sessions and hands-on research projects
emphasizing the use of data and insights drawn from participants' experiences.
The first week of the Training Institute provided an overview of key climate
system processes in the Asia-Pacific Region (e.g., El Nino-Southern Oscillation,
the Austral-Asian monsoon, and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation) and their
societal consequences with a specific focus on recent experience and emerging
opportunities related to the use of seasonal forecasts to support decision
making in the region. First week activities were led by scientists
from the East-West Center, the University of Hawaii (including the International
Pacific Research Center, the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology,
and the College of Social Sciences), and the International Research Institute
for Climate Prediction of Columbia University. Early in the second
week, a team of scientists from the University of Waikato's International
Global Change Institute led formal presentations and learning-by-doing
exercises that exposed Training Institute participants to integrated assessment
issues, methods and tools. The third week of the Training Institute
built on the results of the evolving Climate and Agriculture (CLIMAG) effort
being supported by START and APN. A team of CLIMAG project scientists
led by Holger Meinke of the Queensland Department of Primary Industries
shared the results of CLIMAG project and related activities designed to
promote the use of seasonal forecasts to support agricultural decision-making.
This portion of the Training Institute provided an opportunity to develop
a collaborative regional research project, involving national case studies
and a common protocol, dealing with climate forecasts, their transmission
and use in the context of different farming systems and cultural settings.
Outcomes/Products
The most important product of the Institute will be the creation of
a regional network of individuals actively engaged in the development and
use of climate information to support economic development, community planning,
resource management and practical decision-making in key sectors throughout
the region. The Institute's specific focus on agriculture during the third
week also provides an opportunity to expand regional awareness of and participation
in the CLIMAG project. Other Training Institute products include: copies
of invited presentations, summaries of topical working group discussions;
and hands-on experience with new climate assessment and applications techniques
and tools (with copies available for participants to take home).
Future directions/Follow-up work
The Institute Director has begun discussions with several sponsors
and partners regarding the possibility of conducting similar Climate and
Society Training Institutes as a continuing series of educational and training
opportunities for the region. In addition, as noted above, the third
week of the Training Institute has been designed to expand regional awareness
of and participation in climate and agriculture research in the region
as an extension of the START-APN CLIMAG project. The Training Institute
organizers hope to build on the results of the initial CLIMAG effort and
provide an opportunity to develop a broader collaborative research project
involving a multi-national comparative study focused on improving the utility
of climate forecasts for users in the agricultural sector.
The Training Institute Director, Eileen Shea (East-West Center) is taking
the lead in pursuing opportunities to extend the Climate and Society Training
Institute concept based on the insights gained in February 2001.
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