The tone was set by the first keynote speaker Prof. Zakri Abdul Hamid,
Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia, who spoke on the
conference theme, namely “Low Carbon and Climate Resilient Societies:
The Science-Policy Nexus.” Based on his experience as a negotiator at
multilateral forums, Prof. Zakri stated that an important role of the
scientist is to influence policy making. “There is a need for
scientists to talk in the language of the politician,” he said, adding
that policy makers and politicians need evidence-based science advice.
Drawing on experience he exhorted upon scientists to convince
policymakers to build a consensus in the run up to the COP21.
Credibility, relevance and legitimacy are the key factors that help a
buy-in from policymakers, Prof. Zakri added.
Prof. Saleemul Huq, Director of Climate Change Programme,
International Institute of Environment and Development (IEED), who
delivered a speech via video conferencing spoke the emerging trends in
adaptation in the context of climate science. Stating that the science
of adaptation has grown by way of “learning by doing,” Prof. Huq
advised practitioners to capture experiential knowledge and pave the
way not only towards South-South knowledge sharing, but also knowledge
sharing from the South to the North. He remarked that experience from
ecosystems-based adaptation was now being shared across similar
ecosystems in different continents, which points towards a global
dimension to adaptation. Delving on the issue of migration, Prof. Huq
stated that migration from places severely impacted by climate change
needs to be examined in a positive light. We are already on the
threshold of the third era of adaptation, which is being called
“transformational adaptation,” he added.
“The Conference in Paris is a turning point for humanity,” was how
Prof. Fredolin Tangang, Vice-Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group (I) described COP2, which is
scheduled from 30 November -11 December. He spoke on the topic “Present
versus Future Climate: What Science Tells Us,” stressing that IPCC has
produced an independent, objective, fair and transparent assessment of
the state of our global climate system. “We are facing an energy
imbalance as there is greater energy entering our planet compared to
the energy exiting from the atmosphere,” he said. “Humans are changing
the climate,” he said, as he presented various climate models and
stressed the need to limit increase in temperature to less than two
degrees Centigrade.
Mr. Larry Maramis, Director (Cross-Sectoral Cooperation), ASEAN
Secretariat, stated that the ASEAN region is among the most vulnerable
regions to Climate Change. Four factors — extensive coastal boundary,
high population, economically active coast and dependence on
agriculture, fisheries and forestry, make the issue critical for ASEAN.
Mr. Maramis added that while the remarkable economic growth in ASEAN
was an extremely positive development, the unfortunate aspects were the
transformation of landmass, water and atmosphere. “Our actions are
inducing climate change, and the new discourse is about climate ethics
and morality,” he added. We need to concentrate on sustainability and
resilience, and to include disaster preparedness and humanitarian
aspects in our planning, he said. “A clean and green ASEAN” is our
goal, and ASEAN has great stakes as we approach COP21, Mr Maramis
added.
In his video message, Mr. Nicolas Hulot, Special Envoy of the French
President for the Protection of the Planet, stated that “2015 is a
crucial year for the future of humanity. Depending on what we decide
together, collectively in Paris, 2015 is a moment of truth.” Paris is a
special moment because, 195 states, as never before, will come together
to save the planet, he remarked. “All 195 states must, depending on
their situation, their historical responsibility, capacities and
priorities, do their utmost to restore climate balance, ” Mr. Hulot
said.
Ambassador Philippe Zeller, Diplomatic Counsellor to the French
Government, Ambassador COP21 for Asia, stressed that the new
international framework for action will be defined at three conferences
this year — Financing for Development Conference at Addis Ababa (July
2015), the United Nations Summit to adopt Post Development Agenda in
New York (September 2015), and the Conference of Parties at Paris
(November-December 2015). The Paris alliance will stress on four
aspects of a universal agreement; request all countries to submit their
national contributions ahead of COP21; focus on financial commitments
for a resilient and low carbon economy; and seek to strengthen the
commitments made in the Lima-Paris Action Agenda, Ambassador Zeller
added.
Mrs. Luisa Ragher, Charge d’affaires, European Union (EU) Delegation
to Thailand, highlighted the commitments of the EU in reducing
emissions and mitigating climate change. Stating that ASEAN is a global
hotspot for climate change, Mrs. Ragher stated that EU and its
28-member countries are committed to a 40 per cent reduction in
emissions compared to 1990 levels. She spoke of a 2.2 per cent annual
reduction in emissions from 2021 onwards, and added that 20 per cent of
the budget will be dedicated to climate change related action. “2015 is
a decisive year,” she said, as she encouraged all countries to submit
their contributions before time.
“Our tomorrow depends on our choices made today” was how Prof. Worsak
Kanok-Nukulchai, President, AIT described the climate change scenario,
stating that there was an urgent need to translate science into policy
and practice. Prof. Worsak highlighted how AIT along with the French
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development had
conceptualized the conference. The idea was then presented to the
European Union and the ASEAN Secretariat, who readily agreed to join.
Other partners also came forward and complimented our strength helping
us create a formidable team, Prof. Worsak said. The Conference has 20
scientific sessions with 115 presentations, seven side events, and 400
participants from 20 countries, Prof. Worsak told the audience.
Dr. Pichet Durongkaveroj, Minister for Science and Technology, Royal
Thai Government, highlighted the vagaries of climate as he posited the
2011 flood in Thailand with 2015, when the country is facing the
spectre of drought. Drought implies that farmers may not be able to sow
off-season crops, water levels in dams are abnormally low, and brackish
water is seeping into freshwater systems, he said. Citing the examples
of indigenous responses of farmers to climate change, he quoted the
case of farmers who are examining satellite images to identify water
bodies and flood pathways. Speaking about Technology Needs ASsessment
(TNA), Dr. Pichet said that Thailand is concentrating on mitigation,
which includes precision farming, crop improvement and forecasting and
Early Warning Systems (EWS). Followed by mitigation, Thailand is also
focussing on water resource management, which emphasis on networking
and infrastructure, precision in predictions, and surface and
groundwater runoff measurements with sensor webs. Modelling capability
and data centers was identified as the third key element while the
energy sector was the fourth important aspect for Thailand to confront
the impact of climate change. Smart grids, biofuels, high efficiency
boilers, and carbon capture and storage would work towards an enhanced
energy sector, Dr. Piset added.
Dr. Piset concluded the opening session of the three-day conference by
quoting three pillars of sufficiency economy enunciated by His Majesty
the King of Thailand — namely, moderation, reasonableness, and immunity
from both internal and external shocks.
A photogallery of Day 1 of the event is available at these
links:
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