AIT hosts International Forum on Sustainable Future in Asia

Amidst the backdrop of the adoption of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations, and the signing of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change under the aegis of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Regional Resource Centre of Asia and the Pacific (RR.CAP) at AIT organized a two-day “International Forum on Sustainable Future in Asia.” Co-hosted by AIT, National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) Japan, Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IRSSS) of the University of Tokyo Japan, and Alliance for Global Sustainability Asia, the conference was attended by 160 participants.

In his opening remarks, Prof. Akimasa Sumi, President, NIES stressed
the importance of an international forum for converting aspirations
into actions.  Elaborating on a new strategy for international
collaboration, he identified synthesis, integration and building
networks are the keywords for action. Quoting an example for a
greenhouse gases observation satellite, Prof. Sumi highlighted its
applicability in creating a tracking mechanism for moderating and
controlling emissions from each country.

Prof. Kazuo Yamamoto, AIT’s Vice President for Resource Development,
delivered the welcome address on behalf of the Institute. He stated
that the two historic events of adoption of SDGs and the Paris
Agreement had provided an opportunity for academic and research
organizations to build bridges between science and policy.

Dr. Shuzo Nishioka, Senior Research Advisor, Institute for Global
Environmental Strategies (IGES), and Dr. Bindu Lohani, Former
Vice-President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development,
Asian Development Bank  (ADB), set the agenda of the two-day
conference with their inaugural address.

Prof. Rizaldi Boer, Executive Director, Centre for Climate Risk and
Opportunity Management in Southeast Asia and Pacific, Bogor
Agricultural University , Indonesia delivered a keynote address on “Low
Carbon Society”, while Dr. C. Visvanathan, Professor, School of
Environment, Resources and Development, AIT delivered a keynote address
on “Waste Management and Recycling.” Dr. Jitendra Vir Sharma, Indian
Forest Service and Senior Fellow, The Energy and Resources Institute
(TERI), India, delivered a keynote address on “Biodiversity and
Ecosystem Services: REDD+ is a Solution for Restoring Ecosystem
Services and Biodiversity,” while Dr. Peter King, Senior Policy
Advisor, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies delivered a
keynote address on “Environmental Monitoring: Monitoring and
Environmental Impact Assessment - a Tool for Improved Project
Design.”

The forum was aimed at bringing together researchers from universities
and governmental institutions, experts from governments and industries,
and graduate and postgraduate students. The forum focussed on four
sustainability challenges -- low carbon societies, waste management and
recycling, biodiversity and ecosystem services, and environmental
monitoring.

A photo gallery from the event is available at these links:
Facebook: https://goo.gl/dXZdPl
Google+:https://goo.gl/QQ1RDd