From October 3 - 4, 2018, Indian and German experts from various scientific organizations and administrative bodies presented their current research and discussed decentralized approaches and local adaptations to cope with the ramifications of climate change.
The two-day workshop was organized by the TUM Mumbai office in cooperation with the India Office of Freie Universität (FU) Berlin, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, TUM’s longtime partner university, and the German Center for Research and Innovation (DWIH) New Delhi to intensify the research collaboration amongst the institutions in the field of climate policy.
Prof. Miranda Schreurs, head of the Chair of Environmental and Climate Policy at the TUM School of Governance presented “The Win-Wins of Local Climate Policy and Technological and Social Innovation”. In her talk Prof. Schreurs examined how social and technological innovations at the local level to mitigate against climate change can have multiple positive benefits. The development and implementation of local climate policies can strengthen democratic understanding and improve the quality of life of a community in stimulating better urban design, reducing pollution, and providing new jobs. These results later became noticeable during a field trip to the Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Centre. There, the participants of the workshop could get a firsthand impression of the impact of climate change on the sensitive ecosystem of the Mumbai mangroves and the successful implementation of local policies.
As a next step in the collaboration, a possible follow-up workshop, a speaker’s series in India and Germany, and a PhD-Colloquium are envisaged for next year.