Representatives from 20 cities from across South Asia will come together in Kochi on Wednesday to learn from each other on the issue of adaptation to climate change at the seminar on Asian Cities Adapt: Learning Exchange, co-organised by ICLEI South Asia and Kochi Corporation.
The two-day workshop, will present an impressive line-up of high-level local representatives from India, the Philippines, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Nepal, who will discuss solutions on how cities can adapt to climate change, together with climate experts and other practitioners from India, Southeast Asia and Europe. The civic representatives from other cities include Male city (Maldives) Mayor Maizan Ali Manik, Mongla Mayor Zulfikar Ali, and Singra (Bangladesh) Mayor Shamim Al Razi, and Shimla Deputy Mayor Tikender S Panwar.
“With the recently released fifth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment confirming that climate change is a reality and an increase in temperature and sea-level is therefore unavoidable, cities in Asia - one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change - must act, and must do so fast,” warn experts.
According to them, many cities attending the workshop have already witnessed the impact of changing weather patterns - the workshop will provide them with lessons and other approaches and experiences to understand consequences and identify suitable local responses better.
“Researchers from internationally-renowned institutions as well as expert agencies like German Cooperation Agency (GIZ ), Cities Development Initiatives for Asia (CDIA) and BBC Media Action will offer different perspectives on the issue, presenting the latest research findings and current initiatives at the seminar,” according to a release.
The workshop is organised as part of the ‘AsianCitiesAdapt - Impacts of Climate Change in Target Cities in India and the Philippines and Local Adaptation Strategies’.
The project was launched to formulate policy and practice to help four cities in India, including Howrah, Madurai, Visakhapatnam and Kochi and four cities in the Philippines like Baguio, Dagupan, San Fernando, Tuguegarao to take the first steps towards developing an appropriate adaptation strategy.
The project was implemented with the support from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), Government of Germany, through their International Climate Initiative.