by Ninna Catipon and Sabrina Arambulo
Last August 27 and 28, the Klima Center of the Manila Observatory participated in the 2025 ASEAN University Network Conference on Ecological Education and Culture themed “Room Temperature: Current Responses and Actions in Climate Change Education” at the Ateneo de Manila University. Organized by the Ateneo Institute of Sustainability in partnership with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the conference gathered researchers, advocates, and students from different ASEAN universities and organizations for two days of learning exchanges and discussions on initiatives that combat the global climate and environmental crises.
The Klima Center contributed two (2) presentations to the conference. Francis Uldric San Juan, Research Assistant at Klima, presented a research poster on the World Climate Research Program (WCRP) Academy. The Academy, whose Support Unit is hosted at the Manila Observatory, is a platform that enhances knowledge and skills to current and future scientists through various training opportunities.
The poster, entitled “Advancing Accessibility and Climate Literacy: An Analysis of Capacity-Building Events Organized by the World Climate Research Programme from 2021 to 2024,” analyzed ninety-three (93) different WCRP-organized events, emphasizing the critical role of the Academy in facilitating scientific enterprise in climate phenomena and impacts. Future prospects include increasing opportunities for participants from the Global South, allowing more researchers to build their capacities and scientific prowess.
Tonichi Regaldo, Klima’s Assistant Director for Climate Projects & Research, presented in a parallel session on Just Transitions to Sustainable Societies among researchers whose topics ranged from disclosure practices in aviation to student involvement in sustainability reporting. Regalado presented a study entitled “Luna Power: Strategic Spatiotemporal Movement Against Coal-fired Power Plants (CFPP).”
The study, which is part of the Klima Center’s youth-led RENDER mitigation and multidisciplinary platform, utilized a spatiotemporal narrative analysis of the dynamics of civic participation that contributed to the emergence of the local anti-coal movement in La Union and the cancellation of proposed coal plant. The presentation sparked discussions on the importance of framing the push for coal-free localities on matters that resonate deeply with communities, such as livelihood, health, and climate.
Overall, the conference was a space for the Klima Center to contribute to meaningful discussions on making climate action accessible through education and culture, strengthening the push for climate justice. As plenary key speaker Ariel Rojas (meteorologist and weather anchor at ABS-CBN) underscored, scientific understanding of the climate crisis must be communicated through connection to lived experience, that “At its core, it’s about saving lives.”