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Adaptation & Water

The Adaptation and Water Unit (AW) is dedicated to fostering a resilient and sustainable society, particularly within the Asia-Pacific region. Our primary focus is to promote initiatives that centre on climate change adaptation and water environment measures.

Climate Change Adaptation

Adapting to the risks posed by climate change is important to complement greenhouse gas emission reductions. In recent years, climate-related hazards such as torrential rains and typhoons have become increasingly severe around the globe. Collaborating with stakeholders mainly in Asia and the Pacific, this team conducts research and projects aiming to promote effective climate change adaptation and the establishment of a society that is resilient to climate change.

Water Resource Management

Population growth, economic expansion and climate change are intensifying water challenges across Asia. Our research team is dedicated to strengthening water environmental governance and management through a series of practical research projects and partnerships with countries in Asia. Our goal is to provide a platform for exchanging knowledge and enhancing capacity on water environmental governance. The major challenges that our team addresses include: water environmental governance, microplastic pollution, decentralized domestic wastewater management, integrated water resource management, and other emerging water pollution issues.

Projects

Regional Partnership for Adaptation Actions: Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Information Platform (AP-PLAT)

Addressing climate change impacts requires regional cooperation that takes into account local characteristics. IGES collaborates with AP-PLAT to provide comprehensive information on adaptation measures in the Asia-Pacific region and establish a regional cooperation system by coordinating existing initiatives and activities related to adaptation. Through these efforts, opportunities for collaborative actions are identified.

International Science and Policy Engagement

Tackling the triple environmental crisis (climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss) and land degradation necessitates collective global efforts. IGES contributes to supporting international processes such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), and the Global Environmental Outlook (GEO), thereby making impactful policy contributions globally.

Climate Change Adaptation, Disaster Risk Reduction and Biodiversity Conservation

IGES is dedicated to research and capacity building to integrate adaptation, disaster risk reduction and biodiversity conservation in collaboration with other Asia-Pacific countries. We promote integrated approaches, including Nature-based Solutions (NbS), that can address societal challenges effectively, providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits.

Locally-led Adaptation (LLA)

IGES, collaborating with its partners, is promoting locally-led adaptation (LLA ), a concept that promotes community-based action to enhance resilience against climate risks, devolving decision-making to those who are directly affected by climate change. We aim to adopt innovations with a focus on incorporating Indigenous, traditional and local knowledge systems.

Water Environment Governance

Water resources are essential to sustain life on earth. However, as highlighted in the SDGs, the current status of the water environment is inadequate for many people and aquatic organisms in many parts of the world. IGES recognises the critical role of governance in maintaining water resources and actively works to strengthen governance structures in the region, focusing on Asia and the Pacific.

Integrated River Basin and Lake Management

IGES, in collaboration with the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA), is implementing a regional project on the State of River Basin (SORB) reporting for river basins in ASEAN countries to promote the effective implementation of integrated river basin management (IRBM) in the region.

Promoting effective implementation of decentralised wastewater management in ASEAN countries

Over the past two decades, the proportion of households with access to improved sanitation facilities has increased in all ASEAN member states, but further consideration must be given to the entire sanitation service chain. IGES is collaborating with its partners to facilitate the effective implementation of decentralised wastewater management in the region.

Addressing an emerging challenge of microplastic pollution

Microplastic pollution is an urgent social and environmental issue that should be addressed comprehensively. Widely documented in the scientific community, microplastics are found in nearly all aquatic habitats. In 2021, IGES began conducting research on riverine microplastics, extending its efforts to seek solutions.

Related Links

AP-PLAT
ASEAN DRR-CCA
APAN

Related Publications

Peer-reviewed Article
Assessment of long‑term rainfall trends and variability in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta: implications for water resources management strategies
Peer-reviewed Article
Climate-Induced Migration in India and Bangladesh: A Systematic Review of Drivers, Impacts, and Adaptation Mechanisms
Peer-reviewed Article
Comprehensive inventory and quantitative assessment of potential geoheritage sites in the Malwa region, Punjab
Policy Brief
Securing the Future: Climate Change and Energy Security Risks and the G7’s Role
Conference Proceeding
Adaptation effectiveness and climate security
Strengthening Effectiveness of Climate Change Adaptation and Enhancing Climate Security

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IGES and Climate Security: Asia-Pacific Climate Security Project

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The ASEAN Climate Change Strategic Action Plan 2025-2030 Project

The ASEAN Climate Change Strategic Action Plan (ACCSAP) 2025-2030 serves as the roadmap for addressing climate change in ASEAN up to 2030. IGES contributed to the development of the “ASEAN State of Climate Change Report (ASCCR)” in 2021, the first...

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Associated Staff

Pankaj KUMAR

Research Manager; Head of the IPBES-TSU on Scenarios and Models