JICA-RI Research Associate Attends Manila Environment Semina

On November 3, the international seminar "Human Impacts on Urban Subsurface Environment" was held at the University of Manila, organized by the Kyoto-based Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN). Attending the event, Tomoyo Toyota, JICA-RI Research Associate, exchanged views on climate change impacts with officials of national and local governments, local NGOs and academia.

At the seminar, findings were presented from the RIHN research project "Human Impacts on Urban Subsurface Environments" on the subject of the environment in Manila as it pertains to water and the sinking of land. The participants, who mostly consisted of experts and government officials in urban planning, resources and environment, raised many questions and comments, reflecting the high interest in these issues while the concern about the negative impacts of climate change was shared among everyone.

On the seminar, Toyota surmised that the fact that the participants were able to deepen discussions on the importance of environmental monitoring should contribute to future research. However, efforts in addressing environmental issues differ between the national and local government levels. Toyota points out that linkages and mutual understanding among government bodies are vital to resolving environmental issues consisting of complex factors, and she hopes to make known through her own research the importance of establishing common international recognition and framework for climate change.

Related Research Area: Environment and Development /Climate Change

Related Research Project: Adaptation to and Mitigation of Climate Change in Developing Countries