"Climate Research 'As If People Mattered'", A Webinar Series

A webinar series from November to December 2022 to share perspectives and approaches to do climate science, communication, and risk management.

My Climate Risk (MCR) is a lighthouse activity of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). This aims to develop and mainstream a ‘bottom-up’ approach to regional climate risk, which starts with a better understanding of local contexts and the requirements of decision-makers. Ateneo de Manila University, through the Ateneo Institute of Sustainability (AIS), now hosts one of the Asia-Pacific hubs of MCR. Consistent with the aims of MCR, the ADMU Hub wishes to bring people's experiences on the ground to the fore, and to highlight the perspectives of different stakeholders and sectors on their experiences of climate change and how they are using climate information in addressing climate risks, particularly in Southeast Asia.

Fresh from our first series, the hub is hosting the second of its two webinar series, "Climate Research ‘As If People Mattered’”. Complementing the Climate Voices series, Climate Research aims to give participants examples of how the different contexts and experiences of climate change that we saw in our first series are considered, and how we may apply these in research design and management plans.

We invite all interested parties to register for our second webinar series, Climate Research, at this link: linktr.ee/MCR_ADMU.

Webinar Schedules:

Climate Research "As If People Mattered"

Webinar 1: Storying Climate: Transdisciplinary Adventures in the Classroom and Beyond
8 November 2022 (Tue), 9:00-10:30am (GMT +8, Philippine Standard Time)

Stories from science play a huge role in our understanding of the phenomena around us, and can be powerful pedagogical tools. In our inaugural webinar, we invite Dr Vandana Singh, Professor of Physics and Environment at the Department of Environment, Society and Sustainability of Framingham State University. Join us as we listen to Dr Singh’s pedagogy on using stories to teach climate change and encouraging transdisciplinary approaches – all while igniting hope through climate action.

Webinar 2: Sustainable Production and Stakeholder Engagement
11 November 2022 (Fri), 4:00-5:30pm (GMT +8, Philippine Standard Time)

Fresh from our first webinar on stories and experiences, we jump into our second webinar with a discussion on coastal ecosystems and stakeholder engagement. In this session, we invite Mr Raymond S Rodolfo, a lecturer from the Department of Environmental Science of the Ateneo de Manila University. Mr Rodolfo will share his experience with sustainable oyster culture, and how this has influenced his work over the years, particularly in the understanding and experience of climate change by partner communities.

Webinar 3: Conversations, Memories, and Dreams: Climate Communication that Goes Beyond Information Packaging
23 November 2022 (Wed), 4:00-5:30pm (GMT +8, Philippine Standard Time)

Communication is an important component in the context of the climate crisis as it shapes how we understand and how we share knowledge. For our penultimate webinar of the Climate Research series for 2022, we invite Dr Maria Inez Angela Z Ponce De Leon, Associate Professor, Department of Communication of the Ateneo de Manila University, to share her insights as a science communicator. Here, Dr Ponce De Leon will discuss her research and engagement with communities during her field work, as well as paradigm shifts in climate communication – how do we go beyond information packaging?

Webinar 4: Shifting "From Handover to Handshake": Co-generating Climate Change Information for Resilience
7 December 2022 (Wed), 4:00-5:30pm (GMT +8, Philippine Standard Time)

In our final webinar for 2022, we are joined by Dr Faye Abigail Cruz, Head of the Regional Climate Systems Laboratory at the Manila Observatory. Dr Cruz will share her insights on her experience as a researcher and on her work with climate models and projections. Here, we discuss how her experience has influenced how she approaches her work over the years, particularly in the context of Southeast Asia and the human perspective. What does it mean to shift from handing over information, to co-creating information? What does shifting to co-generation mean for resilience?

For more details, please check the concept note and programme accessible here.
For inquiries, you may reach us at mcr@ateneo.edu.