16 JUL 2018
Climate Projections
Summary of the 1st Workshop on the ASEAN Regional Climate Data, Analysis and Projections (ARCDAP-1)
Mr Abdalah Mokssit, Secretary of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) informed on the role of IPCC in interfacing science and policy as well as the focus and challenges for the next phase of the IPCC Assessment Report 6 (AR6) and Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) programmes. Outreach and engagement are also high on the priority list of the IPCC.
Introduction
The ASEAN Regional Climate Data, Analysis and Projections (ARCDAP) workshop series was initiated in 2018 by the Centre for Climate Research Singapore (CCRS), in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), under the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems initiative (Canada-CREWS) by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). The inaugural ARCDAP Workshop (originally called “Best Practice Workshop on Climate Change Projections and their Applications in ASEAN Countries”) was held in Singapore from 20 to 23 March 2018 and organised in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) as part of the initiative by the WMO RA V Working Group on Climate Services (WG-CLS) to consolidate existing activities in the region in the generation of climate projections. The Workshop was co-funded by the Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and ASMC.
Objectives
The aims of the Workshop included reviewing existing methodologies in the development and use of regional climate change projections for national level adaptation planning across the ASEAN Member States, assessing critical regional scientific challenges in the generation of these projections, and evaluating the uptake of these projections by the Vulnerability and Impact Assessment community across the region.
Participation
The Workshop was graced by Mr Abdalah Mokssit, Secretary of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It was attended by representatives from the NMHSs of 9 ASEAN Member States namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The Workshop was also attended by international experts from the UK Met Office, Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), along with regional experts from the WMO’s Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment Southeast Asia (CORDEX-SEA) community. It also involved Singapore’s research institutions: the Centre for Climate Research Singapore (CCRS), Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI), and Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS).
Breakout group discussions on Day 2 and 3 of the Workshop.
Representatives from regional users of climate projections, including the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre), International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Global Water Partnership Southeast Asia (GWP-SEA), the Mekong River Commission (MRC), and Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Africa and Asia (RIMES) were present. A representative from the Pacific Island region, Pacific-Australian Climate Change Science Adaptation Planning (PACCSAP) also attended.
Conclusions
At the close of the Workshop, a number of best practice recommendations were identified. In the production of climate projections, participants called for greater regional collaboration to conduct model intercomparison studies (particularly in anticipation of the next phase of the IPCC Assessment Report), develop technical guidelines for model development and usage, and consolidate existing sources of climate information and services. Active and sustained end-user engagement was recognised as key to the delivery of effective climate services, and various strategies were shared during the Workshop. The need for a regional platform for collaboration, both in the production and delivery of climate services, was emphasised, with the Workshop itself being a step towards this direction.
The full Workshop recommendations are detailed in this Meeting Report: ARCDAP-1_Workshop_Report [PDF, 4.923 MB].
