Efforts for Climate Change Adaptation Promotion in Koriyama City and the Koriyama Collaborative Core Urban Area
| Date of interview | November 26, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Targets | Yasuhiro Haneda, Deputy Manager, Environment Department, Koriyama City Tomohiro Suzuki, Examiner, Climate Change Adaptation Promotion Section, Environmental Policy Division, Environment Department, Koriyama City Makoto Oba, Principal Researcher, Climate Change Adaptation Strategy Research Section, Center for Climate Change Adaptation, National Institute for Environmental Studies Takashi Tsuji, Senior Researcher, Regional Environmental Renovation Section, Fukushima Branch, National Institute for Environmental Studies |
Starting up the FY 2019 Koriyama Collaborative Core Urban Area Study Group
Please tell us why Koriyama City started promoting adaptation and the history so far.
Mr. Suzuki: The Climate Change Adaptation Act was published in June 2018, and development of the Local Climate Change Adaptation Plan became an obligation of municipalities to make effort. Receiving this, Koriyama City requested the National Institute for Environmental Studies (Fukushima Branch), which is positioned as the core of information infrastructure for adaptation in the Act, to support the measures of “Koriyama City” and the “Koriyama Collaborative Core Urban Area.” Later, to realize a community that is sustainable and adapts to climate change, we concluded a partnership between Koriyama City and the National Institute for Environmental Studies in February 2019. Furthermore, we established the “Koriyama Collaborative Core Urban Area Climate Change Adaptation, etc. Promotion Study Group” in May of the same year as a cooperative project in the environmental sector in the “Koriyama Collaborative Core Urban Area” to promote adaptation measures by wide area cooperation.
Mr. Haneda: Aiming to be a rich and sustainable area into the future, Koriyama City and the neighboring 15 cities, towns, and villages have formed Koriyama Collaborative Core Urban Area. The study group is also positioned as a space to share various issues in the field of environment and make examinations to find the solutions. Its purpose is to “learn together with everyone” toward the development of adaptation plan, including accumulation of the know-how, while also examining measures related to climate change adaptation that suits the circumstances of the area.
What specific efforts did the “Koriyama Collaborative Core Urban Area Climate Change Adaptation, etc. Promotion Study Group” make?
Mr. Suzuki: This study group was established for the purpose of promoting the adaptation measures to avoid or mitigate the damages caused by the impacts of climate change while utilizing the wide area cooperation. With the National Institute of Environmental Studies (Fukushima Branch), which we concluded a partnership with, as the advisor, we intended to visualize the chain reaction of the impacts of climate change by using a method called impact chain (*1). In terms of organization of scientific findings, we examined the active utilization of the current and future climate change in the wide area and observation and prediction data for its impacts.
I myself learned about the method called impact chain in the fall of 2019, when I participated in a workshop in Tokyo (*2). I remember being in shock, saying “this is incredible” after one day of training. Using such a method allows you to consider adaptation as your own business. Visualization of what is lacking in my own region and the chain reaction of impacts lead to more specific examination of adaptation measures. I immediately wanted to adopt it in the wide area, and consulted with the people of the Fukushima Branch to carry it out. Although there are various issues in terms of operation, I hope that such efforts will spread through the nation and give a great opportunity for municipality employees to consider climate change and adaptation in the future.
*1
- An interview article on impact chain (Climate Change Adaptation Information Platform (A-PLAT))
https://adaptation-platform.nies.go.jp/articles/case_study/vol19_hokkaido.html
*2
- FY 2019 work shop report and invitation flyer
https://adaptation-platform.nies.go.jp/archive/report/20191121.html
https://adaptation-platform.nies.go.jp/pdf/event20191121_2.pdf
Mr. Haneda: It is important in the study group that the employees in charge of the environmental field share the issues and demands and actively exchange opinions. It is required that we get a solid grasp on the needs of what people want to hear and know such as cooperation among organizations and departments within the city office in addition to the development of adaptation plan, and that we provide information thoroughly. In the future, we hope to make specific examination of what we can cooperate on as measures against climate change, business development, etc. while utilizing the framework of wide area cooperation. It would be our pleasure if the people in charge of the environmental field consider the outcomes of such cooperation as advantages. We hope to provide a “space” where they wish to attend or return to in case something happens with appreciation for this framework and study group.
Mr. Suzuki: I truly feel that the understanding on adaptation among the employees in charge of the environmental field, etc. is deepening through these activities. On the other hand, a remaining issue is whether we were able to make the plan suitable to the circumstances and demands of each city, town, or village of the wide area, as it was difficult to grasp that actual situation of the measures in each field by the environmental sector alone.
Implementation of FY 2020 working group within the Koriyama city office organizations
Please tell us the efforts of the cross-cutting working group within the city office that utilize the efforts of the wide area.
Mr. Haneda: We established a working group in FY 2020 as a cross-cutting effort throughout the city office, considering that it was necessary to spread the concept of adaptation throughout the city office to each department in charge based on our experience in the study group in FY 2019.
Mr. Suzuki: The “Climate Change Adaptation Working Group,” which we implemented since July 2020, was positioned as a subordinate organization of the board of managers (in positions of director) in the “Koriyama City Global Warming Measures Promotion Headquarters” to conduct investigation and examination of adaptation measures. The group consists of employees in positions of assistant director to section chief from each section, and is divided into 3 groups of A to C (Fig. 1). We held about 4 working groups (Table 1) by inviting people from the Regional Environmental Renovation Section, Fukushima Branch, National Institute for Environmental Studies as lecturers (facilitators). By connecting the vulnerabilities (weaknesses) in our city which were extracted in these efforts to the existing measures, etc., we organized the effects and adaptation measures in each field (water environment, natural ecosystems, natural disasters, agriculture and forestry, industry and economic activities, health, and life of the people) (Table 2), and developed the “Koriyama City Comprehensive Strategy for Climate Change,” which includes the local climate change adaptation plan for this city.
Fig. 1: Members
Table 1: Schedule and contents
Table 2: Impact evaluation and prediction for Koriyama City (excerpted from the “information organization sheet” which was summarized in the city office workshop) “Koriyama City Comprehensive Strategy for Climate Change,” pp. 22-24
Please tell us about what gives you the sense of satisfaction in your current work and your future prospects.
Mr. Haneda: I feel much sense of satisfaction in challenging new fields such as the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and climate change adaptation. I think our city should act as the central city in the Koriyama Collaborative Core Urban Area and play the expected roles.
Mr. Suzuki: I believe that promotion of climate change measures will lead to improvement in local values and attractiveness. I hope to add to the adaptation measures that suit the regional characteristics of this city even by a little and connect them to reinforcement in disaster prevention capacity, etc. I would also like to construct a system where not only the people in the environment field but also those in charge of other fields can also tackle the local issues with the same awareness.
Mr. Oba: While many people imagine work such as specialized tests and research, and data analysis when they hear a local climate change adaptation center, I hope that they will consider more casually and comfortably in a good sense. For example, I hope to prepare and provide a package that would make them want to consider adaptation even a little while having mitigation as the main measure so that adaptation is included even just on one page as a statutory plan. Since we need to examine efficient methods and systems that can support more municipalities, I hope to provide outcomes that would lead to regional vitalization by facilitating cooperation within the city office and regions.
Mr. Tsuji: I feel the same as Mr. Oba. Since we need to consider an efficient system for the local climate change measures, it will be an opportunity to consider the cooperation within the city office and regions regarding environmental policy. Since my specialty is sociology which pursues connection between people, I conducted a study on the infrastructures (ordinances, plans, etc.) and promotion systems that support the cooperation in administration and regions in relation to adaptation by soliciting cooperation from the persons in charge of the municipalities in the Koriyama Collaborative Core Urban Area (*). I hope to continue research on development of mechanisms for local climate change adaptation measures in the future, and contributing to it is extremely rewarding to me.
* Source: Takashi Tsuji, Takuya Togawa, and Makoto Oba (2020); Administrative Infrastructures and Promotion Systems for Climate Change Policy in Small and Medium-Sized Municipalities: A Case Study of the Koriyama Collaborative Core Urban Area, Papers on Environmental Information Science, 34, 234-239.
(Date of publication: August 6, 2021)
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