URBAN CLIMATE RESILIENCE

การรับมือต่อการเปลี่ยนแปลงสภาพภูมิอากาศของเมืองในประเทศไทย

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URBAN CLIMATE RESILIENCE

Goal

City, community and society in Thailand will be able to cope better and efficiently with climate change

Objectives

To strengthen climate change resilience preparedness of the cities in Thailand in the long term by considering changes and development according to the city’s context and to push forward climate change proposals into the city and country-level policy

Main activities

Apply climate change resilience concept to network cities

Develop knowledge and extend distilled lessons on good practices and push it forward to the Research Agenda

Collaborate with stakeholders involved in policy at all levels for promoting knowledge, lessons and practices into policy level

Expected Outcomes

Community, city and society are equipped with knowledge and awareness of climate change resilience preparedness

Climate change resilience issue is integrated to the city development plan and it can be used in compliance with the facts and the city development tendency and climate change in the future

Stakeholders involved in policy at all levels give importance to and participate in climate change resilience preparedness

Urban Climate Resilience Programme in Thailand under Thailand Environment Institute’s responsibility consists of 2 projects: 1) Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network Project (ACCCRN) and 2) Mekong-Building Climate Resilient Asian Cities (M-BRACE)

Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network Project (ACCCRN)

The project, supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, has been conducted in 4 countries in Asia: India, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand. The objective is to enhance climate change resilience preparedness by collaborating with the network focusing on building potentials, awareness, and cooperation among members at city and country levels. For Thailand, the operation is divided into 4 stages (2009-2016).

Picture showing the stages of ACCCRN’s operation

Stage 1: City Selection, Cities which were selected are Hat Yai and Chiang Rai (2009)

Stage 2: City Engagement and Capacity Development through Shared Learning Dialogues: SLDs

Stage 3: Projects Implementation as developed in Stage 2: building the city network, academician network and the network of stakeholders involved in policy at city and country levels and increasing other related potentials such as climate change resilience indicator development (2011-2014)

Stage 4: Dissemination and Scaling Up through networks and pushing forward to policy at city and country levels, distilled lessons, knowledge and best practices through different types of publication such as academic articles, book/manual etc.(2013 – 2016)

Hat Yai City

Hat Yai is the center of economy and transportation and important link between countries of the South. The city has been developed rapidly, especially infrastructure and construction development. However, the results of the development is construction blocking the water flow, catchment or drainage area intrusion, in addition to physical characteristics of the U-Tapao watershed lowland, which will cause repetitive floods and economic area and community damage. This problem is considered the most important and will increase violence when the city faces climate change situations. Therefore, in order to enhance resilience, the following operations have been conducted:

The (Pilot) Project The U-Tapao watershed Flood Management Network (Feb-Jul 11) for developing the manual and community-level flood prevention database system

The Project for preparing quality of life development plan and community plan for climate change resilience and adaptability in Hat Yai area (Jan 12 – Apr 14) in order that people are aware of, able to adapt and self-reliant and have a choice of making a living while facing the flood.

The Project for enhancing Hat Yai flood resilience and adaptability during the long term (Dec 12-Nov 15) for building the network, awareness and community/concerned sector participation, which will lead to climate change resilience enhancement and increase continuously resilience potentials in the future.

The Project for developing collaboration and participation between public and business sectors for Hat Yai flood resilience in the long term (Nov 13 – Apr 15) and collaboration between public and private sectors in developing further the policy and integrate reduced risks from flood plan

Chiang Rai City

Chiang Rai is the important center of commerce and tourism in the North under the “Economic Quadrangle” Project, which will increase the economic and social growth and public utility development to serve more needs. When combined with increased climate change problems, Chiang Rai will be in the risk condition from these impacts. In order to prepare climate change resilience, these following operations have been conducted:

The (Pilot) Project of the city area development for climate change resilience (Feb-Jul 11) for preserving biological diversity in the Nong Pueng area, increasing green areas in the city. Moreover, people can use it for their living and it can be used as water retention area in flood season.

The Project of ecological system restoration and local culture development in the Kok noi River area (Jan 12-Dec 12) for increasing green public areas, which will develop collaboration between local organizations and community.

The Project of resilience plan and economic plan development under the climate change context (Jan 13 – Dec 14) by aiming at enhancing potentials of all sectors of Chiang Rai for climate change resilience preparedness

Mekong-Building Climate Resilient Asian Cities (M-BRACE)

United States Agency for International Development-USAID is making efforts in developing climate change adaptability in different cities in Asia by granting the budget to ISET (Institute for Social and Environmental Transition), operated by “Mekong-Building Climate Resilient Asian Cities: M-BRACE)” project in 2 countries: Vietnam and Thailand.

For the M-BRACE operation in Thailand, ISET has collaborated with Thailand Environment Institution. The activities have been conducted in Phuket and Udon Thani (2011-2014)

Goal

Cities in South-East Asia can cope with climate change

Objectives

To develop potentials, knowledge and understanding related to climate change, as well as the risks and the impacts that the city will face and to specify strategy issues concerning climate change impacts which will be included in the strategic plan of the city and implemented.

Operation

Developing collaboration from all sectors which are local administrative organizations, public sectors, civil sector, popular sector, education sector and private development organizations to conduct activities as planned in the project:

Climate Workshop

Shared Learning Dialogues or SLDs

Vulnerability Assessment

Intervention Project

Promoting the strategic plan of climate change resilience into the city level

The Climate Resilience Framework

It was developed to be the operation framework for the understanding of climate change resilience. The framework concept consists of 2 parts: Vulnerability Understanding and Resilience. The procedures require important tools 1) Shared Learning, where all sectors will exchange learning by using knowledge and local wisdom as well as scientific knowledge.

Part 1- Vulnerability Understanding, consisting of

2) Urban System – enhancing understanding of relations and systematic links of Agents (person, organization or sector) Systems (infrastructure system and ecological system) and Institutions (Mode of practices, law, policy)

3) Climate Exposure – understand and know what are the climate change impacts that the city must face

4) Understanding Vulnerability – The procedures above (1-3) explain how the city is vulnerable

Part2 Resilience

5) Building Resilience – after understanding the city’s vulnerability, the city’s resilience will be built by ordering problem priority and then conducted with follow-up, verification and evaluation. However, these procedures will be retaken to exchange learning for increasing knowledge and analyzing how much operations conducted are efficient for the city’s resilience.

Event New Event

New Event

A kick-off meeting for the new grantees under the CSO programme organised and hosted by the EU Delegation Thailand

10 March 2020
On the 10th of March 2020, the EU Delegation Thailand organised and hosted a kick-off meeting for the new grant contract beneficiaries under the CSO programme. Dr Wijarn Simachaya, the president of TEI, along with Dr Pakamas Thinphanga, the director of SUCCESS project funded by the EU under this programme, attended the meeting with team.

Welcomed and opened by H.E. Mr. Pirkka Tapiola, Ambassador of the European Union to the Kingdom of Thailand, the event began with understanding the EU’s priority issues on climate change, promoting good governance, equitable employment and education, digital strategies and migration partnership. The EU strongly prioritises gender issues and inequalities and contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Gender inequalities were discussed, and a speech was given by H.E. Mrs. Satu Suikkari-Kleven, Ambassador of the Republic of Finland to Thailand.

The meeting provided an opportunity for new implementing partners to familiarise with rules and regulations of the EU grant contracts, reporting requirements, financial and contractual issues, and communication and visibility expectations. In addition, the new partners were also introduced across the EU funded projects forming a network for collaboration as well as getting to know the EU Delegation Thailand team who are responsible for grant management and administration.

The SUCCESS project team, Maastricht University, SCF and TEI, visited urban farms in Songkhla

4 March 2020
On the 4th of March 2020, the SUCCESS project team from Maastricht University, Songkhla Community Foundation (SCF) and Thailand Environment Institute (TEI) visited ‘Urban Farming’ sites. The initiative of urban farming, led by SCF, began during the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network project (ACCCRN, led by Dr Pakamas and her team at TEI) to support urban communities to grow vegetables, herbs and fruit, through training and capacity building. K. Charkrit and his team at SCF and local networks, have developed a local food production system linking to consumers such as hospitals and local markets. Through engagement of SCF, urban farming and networks of farmers and consumers continue to grow. Increasing local farming in the urban region of Hat Yai is addressing food security and healthy eating challenges faced by urban communities, creating more green space to mitigate climate impacts, and generating addition income for small holders and landowners. In addition, a number of urban farming locations have become learning and training sites demonstrating different farming approaches for students, youth groups and local communities.

On the same day in the afternoon, SCF and TEI visited and met with the urban poor community in Songkhla, consisting of several communities residing in informal settlements in Sub-district Boryang. The meeting with community leaders, who were all women, provided a great opportunity for SUCCESS project team, led by Dr Pakamas, to learn and understand the implications of urban economic and infrastructure development, social vulnerability and socio-economic challenges faced by the urban poor and marginalised community groups. In addition, SCF also introduced SUCCESS project and invited the women to join by setting up a Working Group to participate in training and learning activities.

The first Partners Meeting of the SUCCESS project implementing team at CSNM and SCF

2 March 2020
A meeting was held at the office of Center for Civil Society and Nonprofit Management (CSNM), Khon Kaen University, on 2 March 2020 for SUCCESS project, supported by the European Union, between the implementing partners, Dr Buapun and his team of CSNM, Dr Hans Aarts of Maastricht University, a member of National Advisory Committee, Dr Yanyong from Mahasarakham University, and Thailand Environment Institute, led by Dr Pakamas. The meeting was to introduce the implementing partners and discuss project strategic plans and activities, particularly the role and available resources of Maastricht University to support the project partners and local multi-stakeholders in the Northeast.

3 March 2020
A meeting was held at the office of Songkhla Community Foundation (SCF) on 3 March 2020 for SUCCESS project, supported by the European Union, between the implementing partners, Khun Charkrit and his team of SCF, Dr Hans Aarts of Maastricht University, and Thailand Environment Institute, led by Dr Pakamas. The meeting was to introduce the implementing partners and discuss project strategic plans and activities, particularly the role and available resources of Maastricht University to support the project partners and local multi-stakeholders in the South.

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New Publication

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