ABOUT ECE
Background

Background | Personnel | Partners

Extreme Climate Events such as El Nino and La Nina significantly affect society and the environment in a number of Asian countries. The 1997-98 El Nino and the 1998-99 La Nina episodes and their impacts have underlined the need to better understand these climate phenomena and devise mechanisms to take advantage of the lead time provided by climate information for reducing the negative impacts and increasing the potential benefits of these events. The ECE program is designed to meet this need. It is a follow-up initiative to the Asian Regional Meeting on El Nino Related Crises held by ADPC in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and with support from the United States Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) in February 1998.

ECE has been running in Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam since 1999. During this time, we've worked with national partners to enhance understanding of climate variability and its impacts on society. Specifically, ECE Phase I has worked to enhance awareness, inter-sectoral dialogue, and the information base on ENSO events. The documentation and analysis of impacts over the past 30-40 years in the target countries has led to new possibilities for mitigation regarding typhoons, public health, water resources, and agriculture.

As we move into Phase II, there are several exciting opportunities to collaborate with a range of sectoral agencies, at the national, regional, and international levels. ECE Phase II will illustrate the effective application of climate information, and will share the learning from this process at the national level. This will be accomplished through capacity building and training for the Asian region, and through demonstration projects in Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam. ADPC hopes to strengthen the network of climate professionals, so that when an extreme climate events occurs, this network may be mobilized into action.