Asia-Pacific Seminar Archives

CONTENTS MENU

1. Attendance
2. Major objectives of the Seminar
3. Conduct of the Seminar
4. Outcomes of the COP3
5. Further actions to be taken by the countries of the region
6. Regional information network on climate change
7. Possible role of local governments to address climate change

The Eighth Asia-Pacific Seminar on Climate Change was held in Phuket, Thailand from 22- 25 June 1998, organized by the Environment Agency of Japan, Office of Environmental Policy and Planning, Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, Royal Thai Government, and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in cooperation with the Ministry of International Trade and Industry of Japan, the Embassy of Japan in Thailand, the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

1.Attendance

The Seminar was attended by experts from twenty-one countries, including China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tuvalu, the United States of America, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. The Seminar was also attended by representatives of eight international/intergovernmental organizations, namely, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), ESCAP, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme/Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (UNEP/ROAP), and the Secretariat of UNFCCC. All participants appreciated efforts made by organizing agencies for having arranged this important seminar on climate change.

2.Major objectives of the Seminar

The major objectives of the Seminar were to:

1. discuss the outcomes of the COP3, and consider their implications for regional cooperation on climate change;
2. identify issues that may be addressed by the countries of Asia and the Pacific, and work out a package of possible initiatives towards the COP4 and beyond;
3. discuss possible regional mechanisms to facilitate the exchange of information and views on climate change among the countries of the region, including the information network to facilitate access to the latest scientific, technological, research and administrative/institutional information.

3.Conduct of the Seminar

The Seminar commenced with opening addresses by Mr. Hironori Hamanaka, the Director General, Global Environment Department of the Environment Agency of Japan, and Dr. Rezaul Karim, the representative of ESCAP, followed by a welcome speech by Mr. Jadej Insawang, the Governor of Phuket. Then, Dr. Saksit Tridech, the Secretary General, Office of Environmental Policy and Planning, Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, Royal Thai Government introduced the major objectives and organization of the Seminar, and H.E. Mr. Yingpan Manasikarn, Minister of Science, Technology and Environment, Royal Thai Government addressed to the participants and declared the opening of the Seminar.

The Seminar elected Dr. Saksit Tridech as Chairperson, Messrs. Purna Bahadur Shrestha, the Deputy Director General, Department of Hydrology Meteorology, Nepal and Seluka Seluka, the PICCAP Coordinator, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Tuvalu as Vice-chairpersons, and Mr. Katsunori Suzuki, the Acting Director General, Acid Deposition and Oxidant Research Center, Japan as Rapporteur. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Dr. Saksit could chair the meeting for the first two days. The last two days were chaired by Mr. Suphavit Piamphongsant, Chief Inspector General, Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, who was entrusted by Dr. Saksit to perform the remaining tasks of the chairperson during his absence.

The keynote address titled "Outcomes of the COP3 and issues to be further addressed by the countries of Asia and the Pacific " was delivered by Mr. Kok Kee Chow, the Director, Meteorological Office, Malaysian Meteorological Service and the Chairman of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) of UNFCCC. In his address, Mr. Chow emphasized that the countries should be encouraged to sign/ratify the Kyoto Protocol quickly and that the time has come for the countries of the region to consider further regional cooperation which should continue to provide the concerted efforts of addressing climate change.

4.Outcomes of the COP3

The participants of the Seminar noted with appreciation that the information provided by various international, intergovernmental and bilateral organizations as well as the Seminar secretariat was very informative and useful.

The participants considered that the Kyoto Protocol to UNFCCC is a significant first step towards the protection of the climate system in pursuit of sustainable development in the 21st Century. They took note, in particular, that the agreement of the legally binding, quantified greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets of the Annex I Parties is an important achievement of the Protocol, and that the Annex I Parties should make their utmost efforts to attain their targets. In this connection, they welcomed the information on the Japanese domestic efforts, such as submission of a Bill for the Promotion of Measures to Tackle Global Warming, to reduce its GHG emissions in a comprehensive manner.

The participants also took note that there were many remaining issues before the entry into force of the Protocol. Such issues include, inter alia, those on sinks, operationalization of mechanisms, namely, Joint Implementation, Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), and Emissions Trading. There were lively discussions on CDM, which could be established as a new mechanism for technology transfer. They agreed that further efforts should be made to solve the remaining issues in relevant fora.

The participants recognized the progress achieved in the region to advance the implementation of UNFCCC. In this connection, they emphasized the importance of continuing technical and financial support by Annex II Parties to further advancing the implementation of the Convention. The needs for better access to environmentally sound technologies, for instance through technology information centers at regional and national levels, were also stressed.

5.Further actions to be taken by the countries of the region

According to the 1997 questionnaire survey conducted by the Environment Agency of Japan and the United Nations University, national GHG inventories had been prepared or underway in many countries of the region. Although as of June 1998, only two initial communications were submitted from the developing countries in the region, many countries had initiated their preparation process. Some countries developed national plans that include climate change components.

Some countries had taken steps for mitigation and adaptation measures. The ALGAS project had played an important role to identify potential GHG abatement projects in selected developing countries of the region. It was revealed that many countries preferred to promote energy-related projects, such as the improvement of energy efficiency and the promotion of renewable energy. The participants felt that the next step should be taken to identify financial resources for such projects, including GEF, multilateral and bilateral organizations.

The participants emphasized the importance of endogenous capacity building, particularly for identification of technology needs, the assessment of technology options and adaptation of technologies taking into account the local conditions. They also stressed the importance of public awareness and the role of media in respective countries, and continuing support for such activities. The role of UNEP and ESCAP in promoting public awareness was emphasized.

The participants agreed that experiences in the region in dealing with climate change should be shared among the countries of the region so that other countries could consider similar types of projects/actions in line with their own national priorities. Ways and means to enhance this process in respective countries may need to be explored.

The participants discussed possible initiatives that could be considered by the countries of the region, and identified the major points, based on the experiences gained in the region. They agreed that the countries in the region should further promote actions as contained in Appendix 1, taking into account their national priorities and local conditions.

6.Regional information network on climate change

The participants noted with appreciation the study carried out by the Environment Agency of Japan on the regional information network on climate change, taking into account the outcomes of the ESCAP Expert Group Meeting on Regional Cooperation for Climate Change.

Based on the information provided, and considering the on-going discussions at SBSTA, the participants recognized that:

1. The priority information that countries in the region are trying to collect with respect to climate change are outputs, schedules and contact addresses of relevant workshops/seminars, basic policies, composition and structures of government organizations, trends of GHG emissions, detailed information on climate-friendly technologies and so on;
2. Many countries are mainly using traditional means of collecting information, such as publications, magazines, and reports on study outputs. However, Internet web sites also seem to be promising in the near future;
3. The Internet offers a number of benefits over alternative means of communication; and easier and global level access to updated national climate change information, quicker and more interactive communication among users and search capabilities;
4. Some countries are providing their national information on climate change mainly through Internet web sites such as CC:INFO/Web;
5. The most commonly used web site related to climate change is CC:INFO/ Web, followed by web sites of UNEP and USCSP etc. Some available web sites had rarely been accessed by climate change experts, mainly due to insufficient information on such web sites;
6. For meeting the efforts to establish and operate national web sites, technical and financial support from various sources is required;
7. The countries in the region, if they have not done so, should be assisted to establish a national web site with the format proposed in the CC:INFO/Web in order to provide national information on climate change for better exchange of information and experiences;
8. Many existing web sites are not focusing on climate change, and are not user-friendly for climate change experts. Some mechanisms should be developed to enhance accessibility to existing useful information on climate change and to exchange information between countries in the region and with other organizations via Internet; and
9. Other methods such as floppy diskette, CD-ROM, e-mail, newsletter and the workshops should be utilized in order to facilitate information exchange, since some countries are facing difficulties in connecting the Internet.

The participants welcomed the initiative of the Government of Japan on this topic, and endorsed the proposal on the Asia-Pacific Network on Climate Change, outlined in Appendix 2.

The participants noted with appreciation the offer made by the UNFCCC Secretariat to collaborate with appropriate organizations in holding a training workshop to develop national web sites on climate change and on the implementation of UNFCCC for the countries of the region.

7.Possible role of local governments to address climate change

Participants welcomed the information provided by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI: Asia and Pacific Secretariat, Japan Office) on Nagoya Declaration, progress on the "Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) Asia and Pacific Campaign" and dissemination of the Guidelines for Local Action Plans for Climate Protection in the region. They also took note with appreciation the presentations by local governments on their community-based activities to address climate change.

Considering the encouraging developments reported to the Seminar and significant potential such local actions may have in advancing climate protection measures in a country, participants noted that:

1. Local governments in many countries are responsible for land use, waste management, transportation infrastructure, building and construction codes, energy utilities and public education, thus have a significant potential to reduce energy use and GHG emissions by employing these powers;
2. Some local governments have taken early actions and locally based campaigns to reduce local GHG emissions. Such actions include investment in energy efficiency and transportation projects that reduce local energy use, waste management policies that reduce methane emissions and promote waste reduction and recycling, and community-based campaigns for environmentally sound life styles by, for instance, reducing energy use in households and commercial buildings. These actions are also locally beneficial;
3. All stakeholders, including citizens and local business communities should be actively involved in local level activities;
4. Experience gained by such local governments should be shared with other local governments in the region as much as possible, through CCP Asia and Pacific Campaign and other appropriate means, and towards this end, promote Internet communication links with local authorities;
5. Local governments could play an important role in reducing GHG emissions, particularly:
   • from municipal and other public operations, including buildings, facilities, landfills, waste treatment, and water pumping stations
   • from community-wide activities, including transportation, housing and commerce locally;
   • through significant expansion of the supply of renewable energy; and
   • through local educational initiatives and organizations to enhance public understanding of climate change, thereby improving acceptance for government policies to address climate change.
6. Leading local governments as well as ICLEI should play a leading role for direct cooperation and collaboration among local authorities in the region to address climate change; and
7. National governments should encourage and support local governments to initiate appropriate local level actions, through dissemination of scientific and technological information in a timely manner, and through other appropriate means.

It was recommended that the major outcomes of the Seminar should be reported to the ECO- ASIA '98 in September this year in Sendai, Japan and the ESCAP Committee on Environment and Natural Resources Development in October 1998. The Chairperson's Summary of the Seminar should also be disseminated as widely as possible.

Participants welcomed the offer of Mr. Yasunori Yamawaki, Vice-Governor of Shiga Prefectural Government to host the Ninth Asia-Pacific Seminar on Climate Change some time in summer 1999 in Shiga Prefecture, together with the Environment Agency of Japan and ESCAP, and in cooperation with the UNFCCC Secretariat and other relevant organizations.