Weathernews Inc. (Head Office: Mihama-ku, Chiba-shi; CEO: Chihito Kusabiraki)  participated in the Asia-Pacific Regional Climate Change Adaptation Forum, held in Manila from October 17-19, 2018.

This was the 6th such forum, and this year’s theme centered on how to develop the resilience to endure the worst-case scenarios of climate change in the Asia-Pacific region. Weathernews was there at the request of the Japan Ministry of the Environment and the Japan Bosai Platform (an organization dedicated to sharing Japanese disaster mitigation technology with the world). For Weathernews, the forum presented an opportunity to discuss whether adaptive solutions on the time scale of climate change can be guided by the knowledge and practical experience acquired in addressing disasters, such as heavy rains and snow storms, that occur over shorter time periods.

Over the three-day forum, the Weathernews booth was visited by more than 100 people in various positions, including government officials, university researchers, consulting companies, etc. In addition to its effects on agriculture and water resource management, the typhoon that hit the Philippines in September also had a psychological effect. There were concerns that climate change is making typhoons larger and more destructive. Similarly, this awareness has also begun to grow in Jakarta and Hong Kong. We have heard that, in Vietnam, they have begun to analyze the impact of climate change risk on expressways. These trends could be seen as indications that people are getting a sense of the long term scale of climate change, based on abnormal weather events taking place around them. Some also visited the Weathernews booth because they feel that the challenges of climate change require lateral cooperation that transcends the various individual situations.

Yasushi Shiga, Weathernews Senior Managing Officer for the Asia market, participated in the forum. He said, "Weathernews has provided support for solving climate risk problems to government agencies, companies, and the general community in Japan. I have also become convinced that, going forward, aiming for substantive services in this way is also the right approach to challenges involving the time scale of climate change. In addition, I think it is important to be proactive in acquiring the resilience to adapt to these changes, while drawing on the growing awareness around the world regarding climate change."

This forum was the largest to date, and the 1,300 participants from around 60 countries included donor institutions, government policy-makers, practitioners, researchers, and members of the public.

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