THE first-ever Climate Actors’ Forum & Exchange (CAFE) brought together about 200 participants from science, policy, civil society and community actors to push for science-based climate adaptation planning and development. 
While the morning plenary session set the stage with findings from the recently released 2024 Philippine Climate Change Assessment (PhilCCA), the heart of CAFE 2025 lay in the sectoral dialogues.
In six breakout sessions, participants thoroughly discussed six sectors: forest ecosystems, coastal and marine ecosystems, land use and human settlements, energy and transport, food security, and water resources.
Each session began with PhilCCA Working Group 2 authors presenting sector-specific findings.
Representatives from partner organizations then provided reactions, linking research with on-the-ground sectoral experiences.
Participants also worked in smaller groups to reflect on three fundamental questions: What barriers hold back climate action? What support is needed to scale solutions? And what are the knowledge gaps that future research should address?
This approach helped bridge the gap between research and action, emphasizing that the latest available scientific knowledge is crucial in shaping policy frameworks, local adaptation planning and community programs for a more climate-resilient future.
“Here in the country, we feel [the] intersecting pressures every day, and increasingly more devastating than it should be,” said OML Center programs director Marianna Vargas-Morada.
“[That is] why dialogues like these are immensely important as we move through a spectrum of understanding the context of climate change—dissecting sectoral realities to reveal actual gaps and challenges, towards surfacing tangible solutions.
Or at the very least engendering the connections that could make those impactful solutions possible,” she added.
The inaugural Climate Actors’ Forum & Exchange, organized by Oscar M. Lopez Center, was held on Oct. 27, 2025, at Novotel Manila Araneta City in Quezon City.
The plenary session and select sectoral dialogues were livestreamed on the OML Center Facebook page.
More information about CAFE 2025 on OML Center’s website: https://www.omlopezcenter.org/2025-climate-actors-forum-exchange/.
(Story by: Mae Anne Mangusbos)
