Public submissions called for Myanmar's climate change draft report

Aye Sapay Phyu in the Myanmar Times: The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology is inviting public submissions on the first draft of a UN-backed climate change adaptation report, a spokesperson said earlier this month. The department began will accept submissions on the Preparation for National Adaptation Programs of Action (NAPA) on climate change until March 12, said project coordinator U Aung Win.

The draft report presents priority projects to address the need for adapting to the adverse effects of climate change in terms of agriculture, forestry, biodiversity, coastal zone, energy, transport, industry, public health and water resources. The proposed projects include reforestation, improved weather forecasting equipment and a reassessment of the country’s dams and reservoirs.

“The public review and suggestions on the draft will support the main theme of the project, which is to present the projects that need to be prioritised [for Myanmar] to adapt to climate change. This is the reason why we have invited the public to participate in reviewing the draft,” he said.

...“It also considered rural public assessments on climate change, variability, impacts and adaptation … collected in Nyaungshwe [in Shan State], Kyaukpadaung [in Mandalay Region] and Bogale [in Ayeyarwady Region] in July and August 2011, and national strategies on climate change,” he said....

The Irrawaddy River photographed from a commercial Bangkok-bound flight from Europe. The river flows slowly and reaches widely into the surrounding landscape. Shot by Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license