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.
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