AIM Gathers Global Experts to Tackle the New Climate Normal

MAKATI CITY, PHILIPPINES – The Asian Institute of Management (AIM), through the Executive Master in Disaster Risk and Crisis Management (EMDRCM) program, gathered climate change advocates and experts for an online panel discussion on Planning and Adapting to Extreme Events: The New Climate Normal last 27 February. 

Led by EMDRCM Academic Program Director Professor Chad Briggs, the discussion featured a panel of local and international experts on climate change and resilience. Panelists included journalist and author Nick Breeze, Executive Director for the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, Kairos dela Cruz, EMDRCM 2024, and GIZ Philippines Principal Advisor Andrea Teran.  

Climate Policy and Emerging Leadership  

The event drew more than 170 online participants coming from both the Philippines and abroad. Discussions featured navigating natural disasters, international climate policy and broader involvement amidst shifts in global leadership.  

“We need to start looking for [new] countries that can act as leaders in climate action,” said Prof. Briggs. “Whether it’s countries like the Netherlands or collectively the EU, whether it’s Japan, Canada, Brazil, we need other communities to step up because we simply can’t rely upon the US anymore.”  

The panel discussed different kinds of ways to manage a changing global landscape, including collaboration between international agencies and partners committed to Global South.  

“Our global coalitions are trying to work around this situation,” said Kairos. “For example, the V20 is doing climate prosperity plans, it’s an investment package for developing countries who signified interest—so far they we already have CPPS for Bangladesh, we have one for Ghana, and several more are in the works, including the one here in the Philippines.” 

Turning Climate Policy into Action 

Beyond international initiatives, Nick underscored the importance of bringing in more localized examples to inform a larger global community. “The fishermen and indigenous people, for example, they know the waters better than we do.” He further emphasized, “They could be our future stewards to help sustain community, but they are almost being outcast due to a lack of jobs or are on government subsidies.” 

The integration of international and local perspectives into a values-based approach is a crucial skill that industry leaders need to learn, emphasized by Andrea.  “We really need to examine our values and how we think about nature in terms of how we extract value from it and yet disregard the effect that we have, because there’s no profit in mitigating such impacts,” she said.   

Faculty and students will continue collaborating with experts of disaster resilience and sustainable development and integrate insights into their capstone projects. 

For more information on the EMDRCM program, please visit the link here: https://aim.edu/programs/master-in-disaster-risk-crisis-management/ 

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The panel discussion sparked valuable insights, but the conversation is far from over. Share your thoughts and be part of the dialogue: https://www.menti.com/alvphdt3yhn6