2010-12-13

Report on UNFCCC COP-16 and CMP-6 Side Event Shifting to Low-carbon and Climate-resilient Development in Asia and the Pacific

Jointly organized by National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), and Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Towards the realization of low-carbon societies (LCS), the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) is proposing actions for scenario development and identifying barriers to achieving LCS in the Asia-Pacific region.

At the Sixteenth Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Cancun, Mexico, at 6:30 p.m. (local time) on Friday, December 3, 2010, the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) held a joint side event entitled “Shifting to a Low Carbon and Climate Resilient Development in Asia and the Pacific”.

NIES made the first presentations, with Mikiko Kainuma, Chief of the Climate Policy Assessment Research Section, and collaborating researchers, Professor P.R. Shukla from the Indian Institute of Management and Dr. Jiang Kejun from the Energy Research Institute, China discussing “Asia Low- Carbon Scenarios”. Focusing on India, China, Malaysia, and Japan (Kyoto and Shiga), their presentations introduced the current situation and future prospects for the Asia region in order to achieve sustainable growth, such as Asia low-carbon scenario development and concrete project actions.

ADB invited speakers from three countries (Indonesia, Pakistan, and China) aiming to achieve LCS and utilizing funds from the international community to present on their climate change responses. IGES presented on problems and their solutions regarding CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) and MRV (measurement, reporting and verification) and also introduced the International Research Network for Low Carbon Societies (LCS-RNet) and its activities.

The event concluded with discussions between the panel members including Junichi Fujino, Senior Researcher of the Climate Policy Assessment Research Section, NIES, and the audience on topics including resilience to climate change, the realization of LCS scenarios developed by NIES for Asian countries and regions, and further details on international cooperation in Asia.

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