Knowledge center on climate change set up in Los Baños

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna, Philippines — A Knowledge Management Center on Climate Change (KC3) set up here is now operational.

It was established by the government-hosted Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization-Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEAMEO-SEARCA) based in the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB).

SEARCA, headed by Director Arsenio N. Balisacan, is one of the 15 regional “centers of excellence” of SEAMEO, an intergovernment treaty organization founded in 1965 to foster cooperation among Southeast Asian nations in the fields of education, science, and culture.

SEAMEO member-countries are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.

Of the SEAMEO countries, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, and Thailand, in that order, have been identified as the most vulnerable to climate change among Southeast Asian nations owing to the archipelagic nature of their geography.

Dr. Balisacan said that 81-90 percent of the populations of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines live in coastal areas. It is also almost 100 percent in Brunei Darussalam, 52 percent in Vietnam, and 30.6 percent in Thailand.

The knowledge center’s expected beneficiaries are policymakers, academics, students, businessman, non-government organization, funding donors, extension workers, and farmer-leaders in the SEAMEO countries.

KC3 has been envisioned to help Southeast Asians to understand the whats, the whys, and the hows of climate change and how it effects the agricilture and natural resources sectors in the SEMEO region.

It will also provide access to knowledge solutions to help the Southeast Asian States to adapt and mitigate the impact of climate change.      – Rudy A. Fernandez

Moreover, it will connect and empower Southeast Asians to set regionally vis-avis CC impacts.

KC3 is expected to open opportunities for interested Southeast Asian countries to provide venue for knowledge exchange and sharing with the objective of strengthening related research and development (R&D), capacity building, and policy advocacy efforts.

It will use the website as a tool to generate and disseminate information and knowledge on related R&D grants, scholarships, upcoming training and their accompanying program, courses, and training materials. – Rudy A. Fernandez