BKE EU-Japan #1: Enhancing Connections Across National and Local Platforms to Support Adaptation Action

Introduction

29 June 2021

This was the first of two KE4CAP events hosted by NIES, Japan on “Enhancing Connections Across International, National and Local Adaptation Actions“.

The event bought together the KE4CAP community with Japanese colleagues working in local and central government and in science-based organisations.

The agenda and presentations from this event can be found below.

The Final Report is available to download (to the right).

Key messages from the event

Climate adaptation knowledge platforms can play a valuable role in the capacity building of local governments. However, there are challenges related to differentiated capacity within local authorities, frequent personnel changes and limited familiarity with climate change adaptation.

• Particularly under Japan’s decentralized legislative framework, adaptation implementation relies significantly on action by local governments. There are gaps in the capacities of local governments in their understanding of climate change adaptation as well as their capability to analyse climate change impacts. These gaps pose challenges to the local climate change adaptation centres (LCCACs). Since the capacity of LCCACs varies, identifying and meeting demands at the local level is also a challenge for the national CCCA with its limited capacities and resources.

One approach adopted by some platforms focuses on ‘training the trainers’.

• This can be effective in building and sustaining capacity whilst overcoming the problem of local planners being regularly transferred. Continual ‘training of trainers’, who then provide centralized knowledge within the jurisdiction and possibly in neighboring prefectures, can be an efficient approach for capacity development in the local governments. Local mitigation experts are valuable stakeholders for adaptation because they already have a good understanding of local context.

Information provided through platforms should be selected and developed according to the specific needs and capabilities of local authorities while maintaining consistency with national-level data and information.

• Science sometimes delivers more than is needed, so platforms should be selective in what they offer and concentrate their resources on, for example, translation. Local stakeholders do not need to know everything so there is a balance to be achieved. In addition, scientific research should be designed according to user needs.

Platforms should act as knowledge brokers between local authorities and scientists as they have a good understanding of the needs of the targeted user communities.

• There are limitations in users’ cognitive capacity. Platforms should focus on understanding users including why and how the decision-making changes over time. ‘User journeys’ may be a useful approach to develop here and User panels can be an effective way to integrate user feedback into the process. Good decisions can be made with less complicated information.

Agenda

Presentations

The role of CAS in enhancing the links between national and local adaptation action in the Netherlands: some practical examples briefly highlighted, Kim van Nieuwaal, Climate Adaptation Services

Climate Ireland’s support in linking local authority adaptation action with national adaptation objectives, Barry O’Dwyer, University College Cork

Plenary discussion 2: Questions from Local Climate Change Adaptation Centers (LCCACs) in Japan