By Mae Thiwari
June 30th, 2021 -- With the official launches of Global Water and Climate Adaptation Center– Aachen-Bangkok-Chennai-Dresden (ABCD) and CASTT Adaptation Academy, AIT and its global partners are set to conduct research, educate new generation, and provide experience and expertise to tackle climate change in the Asia-Pacific region.
The launch of Global Water and Climate Change Adaptation Center, in partnership between RWTH Aachen University, Asian Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, and Technische Universität Dresden and United Nations University – Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES), supported by German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), was followed by the launch of the Climate Action and Support Transparency Training (CASTT) Adaptation Academy at the Asia-Pacific Climate Week 2021, organized by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The new global center and adaptation academy at AIT will be led by Prof. Mukand S. Babel from the School of Engineering and Technology (SET).
The Asian Institute of Technology, together with it partners in India and Germany, officially launched the Aachen - Bangkok - Chennai - Dresden or ABCD Global Water and Climate Adaptation Center, with support from DAAD, on June 30th, 2021.
The Center will develop innovative adaptation strategies to address the threats posed by changing climate, with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras as the main hub location and the Asian Institute of Technology as the Satellite location of the Center.
Led by Prof. Babel, the Center will focus on three key research clusters: Water Security, Water Resources Management, Secure Water Supply and Water Treatment; Ecosystem Resilience and Nature-based Adaptation Measures; and Transfer Strategies for Climate Adaptation: Traditional Knowledge, Local Economies and Societal Acceptance. “Bangkok is going to be the living lab for research on water security and climate adaptation,”
It will also implement a new international joint master’s program ‘Water Security and Global Change,’ which incorporates the Center’s core competencies and will push the boundaries of digital teaching innovations to enable full student participation at different locations.
Moreover, to enable research results to be put into practice and into policy, the Center will transfer knowledge to water related agencies and governments in the region.
To further contribute its expertise and experience in the service of the region, AIT also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with UNFCCC and launched a new capacity building and training initiative called CASTT Adaptation Academy, on July 7th, 2021.
The CASTT Adaptation Academy will provide in-depth training on the Paris Agreement with a focus on the adaptation reporting aspects of the enhanced transparency framework. Its aim is to enhance technical capacity for vulnerability and adaptation assessments, planning, policy frameworks and coordination across ministries and governance levels to act on climate change.
Highlighting AIT’ strengths in the field of climate change, AIT President Dr. Eden Woon spoke of the institute having undertaken research, education and training programs in climate change as early as in the 1990’s, through its Schools and dedicated outreach Centers.
“It is rightly said that regardless of current and future emissions, adaptation is an unavoidable endeavor,” said President Woon as he emphasized the importance of the Adaptation Academy in his opening remarks.
This year, due to the prevailing pandemic situation, the training will be given online as a one-week course from October 11-15, 2021, to government representatives and other professionals from countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Application will be open from August 1 – 31, 2021. From 2022-2025, a four-week training program will run at the mid-year of each year.
For more information on the CASTT Academy, please visit: https://unfccc.int/castt-adaptation-academy
For more information on the launch of CASTT Academy, please visit: https://unfccc.int/news/adaptation-academy-launched-in-support-of-developing-countries-climate-plans-and-reporting