Local governments should start taking action now and begin implementing climate change adaptation
and mitigation policies to cushion the impact of climate change, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of the UN
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said during a video-conference held on November 2,
2007 at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT).
In his talk entitled The IPCC Fourth Assessment and Beyond, Dr. Pachauri stressed that low lying areas
located in developing countries in South and Southeast Asia are most vulnerable to the long-term
effects of climate change due to their limited adaptation capacities and their heavy dependence on
climate-sensitive resources such as water and food supply. He said such vulnerability is further
aggravated by existing stresses such as limited access to capital, ecosystem degradation and endemic
poverty.
He cautioned that with limited resources, adaptation efforts may not be enough in the long-term so
mitigation measures should be implemented as soon as possible. Governments should begin
implementing policies that provide incentives for the development of technologies that mitigate
climate change in energy, transportation and building design. Governments should also encourage
investments in appropriate energy infrastructure and promote changes to lifestyle and behavior.
“Leaders have to take action, we cannot delay it,” he said.
In reaction to Dr. Pachauri’s lecture, AIT President Prof. Said Irandoust, mentioned that introducing new
technologies to mitigate climate change maybe costly for developing countries that do not have existing
systems to support such technologies. “We overlook the fact that developing countries in the
Asia-Pacific regions have weak research and development infrastructure and institutional capacity to
absorb these new technologies,” he said. He stressed the need for more capacity building to aid
developing countries in adopting new technologies and tools needed for climate change mitigation.
Dr. Pachauri’s lecture was hosted by the Asia Pacific Initiative and the United Nations University and
was beamed simultaneously in eight universities in Thailand, Japan, Hawaii and Samoa. The talk was
held after the IPCC and former US vice-president Al Gore were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their
efforts to disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change.
Article by: Ms Leilani Gallardo of SEA-UEMA Project, AIT
