OSCAR M. Lopez (OML) Center and First Gen-owned Energy Development Corporation (EDC) rolled out a capacity development program to strengthen the climate resilience of local government units (LGUs) in communities where EDC operates through the Climate Resilience Workshop for Communities. The initiative, titled “Mainstreaming Climate Resilience Using OMLC’s Decision Support Tools: eCCET Helper and Upturn Tools Capacity Development Series,” aims to help LGUs better understand and respond to climate risks through evidence-based planning and adaptation.
Led by the OML Center knowledge production unit, the capacity development program brings together EDC site staff and LGU representatives to work on climate change adaptation, local planning and disaster risk reduction and management to build foundational climate knowledge and strengthen their capacity on climate-informed planning. The sessions help participants better understand the climate risks specific to their communities and identify appropriate adaptation actions to address them.
The two-day workshop introduces participants to the principles of risk-based planning, including the assessment of hazards, exposure, vulnerability and risk, as foundations for evidence-based local planning.
Participants also get a walkthrough of the government’s Climate Change Expenditure Tagging or CCET framework and OML Center’s eCCET Helper, a tool developed to support LGUs in planning and tagging their budgets allocated for climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts.
Participants also learn to use the center’s Upturn Tool to assess climate risks and identify and prioritize climate change adaptation solutions. Through the platform, participants work with the Climate Change Risk Index to assess climate risks and the Climate Change Resilience Index to support the prioritization of adaptation solutions. Outputs from both tools are discussed in relation to existing local development, climate change and disaster risk reduction plans, helping participants explore opportunities to align their plans and inform local investment decisions.
The workshop kicked off with representatives from Valencia, Negros Oriental, in September, followed by a similar capacity development session with representatives from Kananga, Leyte, in October. The initiative will also engage the local government of Kidapawan, Cotabato, this month, completing this year’s three target LGUs.
For more information about the Climate Resilience Workshop for Communities, visit the official pages of OML Center and EDC.
Representatives from OML Center and EDC, together with planning officers from the local government of Kananga, Leyte, during the eCCET-Upturn Capacity Development Series held at the Rockwell Business Center
By Mae Anne Mangubos
