11 Nov 2024
Prof. Matthias Garschagen and team members attended a project workshop in Beijing and the LMU-ChAN Scientific Forum in Shanghai Reported by Mr. Wenhan Feng
© HER LMU
During 24-28 September, 2024, Prof. Matthias Garschagen led a team of the Human-Environment-Interactions group to Beijing and Shanghai. Members in Prof. Garschagen’s delegation included Dr. Olabisi S. Obaitor, Dr. Julia Teebken, Dr. Liang Emlyn Yang, and PhD students Jiachang Tu, Wenhan Feng, Mei Ai, and Siying Chen.
As part of the Sino-German Mobility Program FreCom, the workshop titled "Risk Management and Resilience Building for Sustainable Development," was held at the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in Beijing. Over 100 experts and students from universities and research institutions across China, Germany, Nigeria, Pakistan, and India participated. The workshop provided a platform for in-depth discussions on current international research trends in risk management with particular focus on flood hazards.
At the workshop, Prof. Matthias Garschagen delivered a keynote speech titled “Advancing Urban Climate Change Adaptation: Speed, Scope, Depth,” addressing the urgency and challenges of climate adaptation in urban areas. His talk highlighted the need for speeding up adaptation measures and scaling efforts more broadly. Dr. Liang Emlyn Yang gave a detailed presentation on "Modeling the Spatial-Temporal Dynamics of Flood Resilience in the Mekong Basin," exploring how spatial and temporal changes affect flood resilience in this region. Dr. Julia Teebken spoke about “Historical Materialist Policy Analysis to Study the State of Climate Adaptation Policymaking in China,” which provided a critical analysis of China’s climate adaptation policies. Dr. Olabisi S. Obaitor presented on "Modeling Future Urban Growth Scenarios in the Context of SSPs and Ecosystem-Based Adaptation to Address Flood Risk in Hue, Vietnam," discussing how urban growth models intersect with flood risks and climate adaptation. PhD student Wenhan Feng shared insights from his research on "Simulating Community Resilience to Flood Impacts in the Upper Mekong Basin Using an Empirical Agent-Based Model," which demonstrated how simulations can help understand community resilience to flood events.
Prof. Xiangzheng Deng of the Chinese Academy of Sciences delivered a welcome address during the opening ceremony, followed by a symbolic exchange of gifts with Prof. Garschagen, marking the strengthening of Sino-German academic collaboration. The Chinese team also hosted a welcome banquet and led a short field trip around the partner institute, facilitating practical exchanges on flood management strategies. A poster session encouraged further discussions on sustainable development and risk management The workshop concluded with a positive tone for future exchanges and collaborative projects.
A group photo of the participants in the workshop in Beijing, 24 September, 2024. Image credit: Jinhui Xie
Prof. Matthias Garschagen and Prof. Xiangzheng Deng exchange gifts at beginning of the workshop, 24 September 2024. Image credit: Wenhan Feng.
Prof. Garschagen gave a keynote talk on the topic of urban climate change adaptation, 24 September 2024. Image credit: Jinhui Xie
Part of the participants standing together in front of the workshop poster on 25 September 2024. Image credit: Jinhui Xie
From September 25-28, the second workshop took place in Shanghai as part of the LMU-ChAN Scientific Forum 2024. This annual scientific forum is co-organized by LMU Munich and 12 leading Chinese universities. This year's event, co-hosted by LMU and Fudan University, included a session titled "Exploring Why Climate Change Isn’t Everything," chaired by Dr. Julia Teebken, Dr. Liang Emlyn Yang, and Prof. Jiang Ping from Fudan University. The session featured 14 presentations, making it the largest section of the forum. Prof. Matthias Garschagen presented "Reducing Vulnerability or Building Resilience? A Theoretical Tale of Responsibility," which explored the interplay between vulnerability reduction and resilience building. Dr. Julia Teebken’s talk on “The Opportunities and Limitations for Addressing the Root Causes of Vulnerability Through Climate Adaptation” examined how climate adaptation efforts can or cannot address deep-rooted vulnerabilities. Dr. Olabisi S. Obaitor presented on “Assessing Flood Exposure Disparities Across Urban Morphologies: Lessons Learned from Metro Manila and Hanoi” that discussed the disparities in flood risks across different urban landscapes. Dr. Liang Emlyn Yang explored "Understanding Long-Term Social Resilience to Climate Change Impacts," analyzing how societies maintain resilience in the face of long-term climate challenges. Jiachang Tu and Antje Katzschner (a former member in Garschagen’s group) highlighted the importance of vulnerability studies in China.
The afternoon session, led by Dr. Julia Teebken and Prof. Jiang Ping, facilitated a collaborative discussion on "Identifying Research Priorities and Emerging Issues in Social Scientific Climate Science and Policy Research on China." This session collected ideas for concrete future collaborations, including 1) research topics that sit at the nexus of climate change adaptation and inequality research 2) funding opportunities for joint projects, 3) joint publication opportunities and 4) upcoming joint events as well as opportunities for regular exchange.
On September 27, Dr. Liang Emlyn Yang, Prof. Hans van Ess from LMU’s Sinology Department, and Prof. Yuda Yang from Fudan University chaired another session on “Climate Change and Social Resilience in the Past.” Dr. Yang presented "Evolving Social Resilience to Flood Impacts in the Tea Horse Road Area," showcasing the historical evolution of flood resilience in this region. PhD students Mei Ai and Siying Chen presented "Case Studies of Flood Resilience in Southwest China with a Historical Perspective," detailing case studies from the STORIES project and offering valuable historical insights into flood resilience research. These talks were well-received for their depth and contribution to the understanding of historical perspectives on flood resilience.
On September 28, under the organization of Dr. Liang Emlyn Yang and Chinese colleagues, the German team conducted a field trip to study Shanghai’s urban development and flood risk management, further strengthening academic cooperation between partners in the two countries.
The next LMU-ChAN Scientific Forum (https://www.lmu.de/en/about-lmu/international-network/lmu-china-academic-network-lmu-chan/) is planned to take place in Munich on 29-31 October 2025. The next FReCom project meeting will be integrated into the forum.
