Climate Exchange

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ommunities

information and the number of participants from user groups has

increased. In 2011, more than 100 scientists and experts partici-

pated in the APCS, which was themed on ‘Harnessing and using

climate information in decision-making: agriculture, water and

energy efficiency’. Both climate information providers and users

agreed that the symposium was meaningful and productive and

called for its continuation to share deeper knowledge and experi-

ences in the various climate application sectors. As a progression

of the 2011 event, APCS 2012 will focus on climate applications

to the agricultural sector.

Apart from international conferences and events, continuous

institutional collaborations with other disciplines are also under

active exploration. Although user groups’ recognition of the risks

associated with climate change and variability and the need for

adaptation is growing, many users do not have proper decision

mechanisms in place, even if accurate climate forecast informa-

tion, which is probabilistic by nature, is available. In 2012 APCC,

together with scientists and experts in the US, Japan, Indonesia,

Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, launched an interna-

tional collaborative project to develop an early warning system

for fire and haze for Southeast Asia based on seasonal forecasts.

The key problems will be providing accurate drought condition

forecasts for the region of interest and developing

effective fire management strategies that incorporate

forecast information at the seasonal time-scale. For

the successful implementation of this project, close

collaboration at various levels covering both science

and policy will be required, emphasizing the impor-

tance of a multidisciplinary approach.

Numerous multinational efforts for the better use

of climate information in the Asia Pacific region have

been made by the APCC. To maximize the social value

of climate information, APCC is performing research

to improve the quality of its MME forecast, as well as

to tailor its climate information products to formats

appropriate for end users. In addition, with the under-

standing that better distribution mechanisms are also

a key concern, APCC provides an easy online tool

to enhance the accessibility of climate information.

Through the provision of reliable seasonal climate

information, an emphasis on user interaction and

multinational research collaborations, APCC strives

to amplify the use of climate information for problem

solving in the Asia Pacific region.

The CLIK interface for MME forecasts

Source: APCC