Highlights and images for 9 October 2019

Ethiopia

  1. African Climate Risks Conference (ACRC) 2019

Summary

Highlights for Wednesday, 9 October 2019

As ACRC 2019 draws to a close, the interactive survey board is filled with different colors, representing thoughts and interests about the conference.

The African Climate Risks Conference (ACRC) 2019 concluded on Wednesday, 9 October, with a busy programme including plenary sessions, panel discussions, workshops, and seminars. In the morning, two plenary sessions focused on the state of climate information services for development support in Africa and on mobilizing investment in climate services. On the state of climate information services, Filipe Lúcio, Director, Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS), in a keynote speech, stressed the need to strengthen capacity regarding the provision of climate services, highlighting the urgency of action for Africa and the need to improve monitoring and evaluation. Stephen Mooney, Department for International Development (DfID), UK, underscored the need for African ownership of climate services, emphasizing co-production and “last-mile delivery” to reach those who really need the information.Regarding mobilizing investment for climate services, Paul Watkiss, Department for International Development (DfID) Climate Mainstreaming Facility, emphasized in his keynote presentation, the economic value of weather and climate services, which extends beyond financial value. Dumisani Chirambo, Seeds of Opportunity, Malawi, stressed the potential to use social innovation and community science in providing climate services. Daniel Tsegai, UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), presented on combating drought, risk insurance, and sustainable land management. Throughout the day delegates participated in:

  • A session addressing climate services initiatives in Africa;
  • Two seminars on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Reports on the oceans and cryosphere in a changing climate, and on climate change and land, respectively;
  • Two panel discussions on implications and governance of carbon dioxide removal for adaptation and the SDGs, and on collaborative engagement of public, private, and academic sectors for the next generation of weather and climate intelligence; and
  • Two workshops on tackling urban challenges by co-creating knowledge on food-water-energy nexus, and on research concepts for a joint Africa-European call on innovative climate services for the African regions.

    • In the closing plenary, Ernest Afiesimama, World Meteorological Organization (WMO), highlighted initiatives to break down barriers and faciliate integrated climate risk analysis in Africa. Chris Jack, University of Cape Town, South Africa, outlined key challenges and highlighted progress on: high-resolution modeling; conceptual understanding of model performance to inform model development; linking risk management resilience and climate information; and capacity development using climate information. Rosalind West, DfID, highlighted successes in advancing the fundamental science, and bringing that science into use, stressing that “climate science isn’t just for climate scientists, it is for everyone.”Joseph Mukabana, WMO, emphasized the need to develop national frameworks for climate services in order to scale up the use of climate services in monitoring, production, delivery, and user application. Frank Rutabingwa, UN Economic Commission for Africa (UN ECA), stressed that the depth of discussions demonstrate that climate change is the biggest challenge on the continent. Robbie Redda, SouthSouthNorth, thanked delegates for a successful conference and closed the session at 5.04 pm.Please return to this site on Saturday, 12 October 2019 for the summary report.

    IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ meeting coverage, provided daily photographic coverage and a summary report from ACRC 2019. The summary report is now available in HTML and PDF.

    Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth

    For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page

    Plenary: State of Climate Information Services in Africa
    Filipe Lúcio, Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS)
    James Murombedzi, UN Economic Commission for Africa (UN ECA)
    Stephen Mooney, Department for International Development (DfID), UK
    Judy Omumbo, African Academy of Sciences, and Climate Research for Development (CR4D) Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), Kenya
    Rosalind Cornforth, University of Reading, UK
    Andre Kamga, African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD)
    Theme 7: Mobilising investment in Climate Services
    Linus Mofor, UN ECA
    Daniel Tsegai, UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
    Tom Downing, Global Climate Adaptation Partnership (GCAP)
    Paul Watkiss, DfID Climate Mainstreaming Facility, UK
    Dumisani Chirambo, Seeds of Opportunity, Malawi
    Mouhamadou Lele, Met Office, UK, and Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)
    Discussions, Seminars, and Panel Discussions Throughout the Day
    Delegates attend the seminar entitled 'IPCC Special Report on the Oceans and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate: A science-policy dialogue.'
    Buruhani Nyenzi, Climate Consult, Tanzania
    Zachary Atheru, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC)
    Delegates attend the panel discussion entitled 'Implications and Governance of CDR for Adaptation and the SDGs.'
    Boram Lee, World Climate Research Programme (WCRP)
    James Kairo, Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute
    Delegates attend the panel discussion entitled 'Collaborative engagement of public, private, and academic sectors for the next generation of weather and climate intelligence.'
    Janet Ngombalu, East African Grains Council
    Tony Knowles, University of Cape Town, South Africa
    Delegates attend the workshop entitled 'Sustainable Urbanisation Global Initiative (SUGI): Tackling urban challenges by co-creating knowledge on food-water-energy nexus.'
    Joanna Tobolewicz, City of Gdańsk, Germany
    Jonas Bylund, JPI Urban Europe
    Delegates attend the workshop entitled 'Strengthening International Cooperation on Climate Change Research (SINCERE) flagship action Africa: research concepts for a joint African-European call on innovative climate services for the African regions.'
    Poster Session
    Interactive poster sessions were held throughout the day covering six thematic areas: latest research on climate science
    of Africa; latest research on the science and projections of future climate change in Africa; evidence for action: climate change risk analysis; delivering resilience in the face of climate change uncertainty; co-production of knowledge between science, business, policy, practice, and local communities; and cross-cutting issues: water-energy-food-health nexus.
    Closing Plenary
    Delegates raise their hands during an interactive session to share their opinions of ACRC 2019.
    Ernest Afiesimama, WMO
    Christopher Jack, University of Cape Town, South Africa
    Rosalind West, DfID, UK
    Joseph Mukabana, WMO
    Frank Rutabingwa, UN ECA
    Robbie Redda, SouthSouthNorth (SSN)
    Delegates applaud the work done by the ACRC as the conference is closed.
    Around the Venue
    Delegates between sessions.
    Delegates visit the Future Climate for Africa exhibition.
    The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB+) team covering ACRC 2019: Asheline Appleton, Kenya; Natalie Jones, New Zealand/UK; Asterios Tsioumanis, Greece; and Kiara Worth, South Africa.