A recent dialogue event for the Asia-Pacific region has highlighted the need for scientists, policy makers and practitioners to better work together on climate change, minimizing risks and building resilience.

An article on the website of the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research summarizes the event: Global Environmental Change: Reducing Risk and Increasing Resilience held from 19-21 January in Thimpu, Bhutan, organized by APN together with partners.

Among the presenters were Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (via video) and Dr. Syed Javed Hasan Rizvi, Regional Director of the World Agroforestry Centre’s South Asia program, who spoke on ‘Agroforestry: Food and Nutritional Security in South Asia’.

The dialogue focused on 3 main themes: urban areas: climate impacts and risk reduction; rural areas: food and water security; and low carbon society and sustainable pathways.

One of the main issues to emerge was that of barriers in communication among science, policy and practitioner communities. This is not only because of the different language spoken by each but the different modes of operation and timescales under which each work. There were also discussions around how to more effectively translate actionable science into practice.

“Implementers need to be informed, advised and engaged in order for effective decisions to be taken and implemented,” says the article.

It was agreed that a multi-stakeholder production of knowledge and dialogue is needed and this should include both private and state sectors, local communities, non-governmental and civil society organizations.

Read the full story: Global Climate Change: Reducing Risk and Increasing Resilience — South Asia Science-Policy Dialogue Held in Bhutan