“Open Climate Science,” A Webinar by the MCR-ADMU Regional Hub

A panel discussion on the meanings and practice of open science.

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, and has hosted a number of webinars in the last year which highlight the different experiences of climate change, and how contexts and experiences may inform research design and management plans.

Evidence of anthropogenic climate change and the urgency to address the resulting crises have increased over time. Climate change science and researchers play key roles in bridging the gap between climate information and climate action, and ‘open’ or ‘usable’ science that aims to make research relevant and useful is crucial to achieving this. For decades, there have been efforts to rethink the role of the scientist and the practice of science, from the scientist as a detached and objective observer, to one who is embedded in society and whose knowledge is partial and value-laden. Balancing such tensions become even more challenging when applied to the ‘wickedness’ of climate change, as it has no single problem definition; involves diverse stakeholders with competing values, interests, and capacities; encompasses multiple spatial and temporal scales; high risks and potential irreversible impacts; asymmetry in the cause and distribution of impacts; and irreducible uncertainties.

The Ateneo de Manila University Regional Hub wishes to facilitate a meaningful discussion between members of the different MCR Hubs by organizing a webinar, titled “Open Climate Science,” where they will articulate and navigate the tensions of the meanings and practice of open science in addressing climate change. This is consistent with MCR’s goal of developing bottom-up, contextual, and empowering approaches to regional climate risk. Rather than seeking definitive frameworks and tools, the discussion aims to develop rough outlines and share cases of what open science is and how it might work in practice.

The panel will consist of five members, from different organizations and MCR hubs around the world. They are Ms Fiona Spuler of the University of Reading hub, Dr Christopher D Jack of the University of Cape Town hub, Fr Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ of the Ateneo de Manila University hub, Dr Noralene Uy of the Climate and Disaster Resilience Innovations Program of the Anthropological and Sociological Initiatives of the Ateneo (CDRI-ASIA), and Mr John Leo C Algo of Living Laudato Si' Philippines.

We invite all interested parties to register for our webinar directly by clicking this link, or through this link: linktr.ee/MCR_ADMU.

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

We are also pleased to share that the WCRP’s Open Science Conference (OSC) will be held in October 2023. The conference will comprise 40 sessions across three themes.

Abstract submission for the conference will close on 28 February 2023. Of particular interest to the Hub is Theme 3: 'Co-produced climate services and solutions,' which focuses on initiatives to connect scientific knowledge, planning, decision-making, and policy processes. For more information on the OSC and its themes, visit wcrp-osc2023.org/.