Adaptation to climate change has emerged as one of the most important concerns in the global development agenda. However, the knowledge gap on adaptation is vast; knowledge and expertise remains primarily at the international level, and is not reaching those in the developing world who need it most. Higher education institutions can play a critical role in bridging this gap.

Representatives of some 18 universities and research organizations from across the Asia-Pacific, as well as international and intergovernmental organizations, gathered at UNU headquarters in Tokyo to put higher education at the top of the climate change adaptation agenda. The first of its kind in the region, the three-day conference on “The Role of Higher Education in Adapting to Climate Change” was jointly organized by the UNU Institute for Sustainability and Peace (UNU-ISP) and the secretariat of the Institute for Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S) of the University of Tokyo.

Speakers on the first day of the conference (from left, first row): S. B. S. Abayakoon, Konrad Osterwalder, Isao Kiso, (second row) Janette Lindesay, Diqiang Li, Nobuo Mimura, Toshio Koike, (third row) Kazuhiko Takeuchi, Kazushige Taniguchi, Hiroyuki Yoshikawa, and Srikantha Herath. Photos: UNU-ISP

Participants at the event (more than 100 educators, researchers, policy makers and administrators) established a regional network that will provide the foundations for a comprehensive postgraduate educational programme that can produce the students, educators and research needed for effective adaptation to climate change. .

The first day of the event, June 10, was a public conference featuring four keynote speakers: Prof. Janette Lindesay, Deputy Director, Australian National University Climate Change Institute; Prof. Diqiang Li, Director, Chinese Academy of Forestry; Prof. Nobuo Mimura, Director, Institute for Global Change Adaptation Science; and Prof. Hiroyuki Yoshikawa, Director-General for The Center for Research and Development Strategy, Japan Science and Technology Agency. The conference  provided an ideal opportunity for the UNU to ask Prof. Mimura about the recent landmark study that he led on the economic costs of climate change for Japan.

The keynote presentations were followed by a panel discussion. Panelists were drawn from presidents, deans and heads of departments of leading universities in India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea,  Sri Lanka and Viet Nam.

During the two-day closed workshops that followed, participants shared information on existing climate-related teaching and research within their institutions. The final day included brainstorming of innovative ideas for a regional curricula, joint research projects and resource sharing, as well as future action plans.

The conclusion of the event was celebrated by a round-table commitment to further develop this initiative, with follow-up workshops to be held this year in Viet Nam (September) and Ghana (October), and next year in Indonesia (February). The outcomes will make an important contribution to UNU-ISP’s graduate study programmes, which are scheduled to begin in 2010.

• Conference programme
• Conference website