Degrees-funded scientists from across Southeast Asia came together in Singapore on 25-26 July 2025 to build collaborations on solar radiation modification (SRM) research across the region.
The workshop expanded on a kick-off meeting held in January 2024, where SRM modelling scientists discussed their research, provided ideas and shared feedback.
At the most recent workshop, teams from the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand shared updates on research, stakeholder and policy engagement activities, and new collaborations on a local, national and global level.
The researchers then identified research priorities for the region – areas that climate change and SRM may impact strongly and that are of vital importance to policymakers, such as key crop production and extreme weather. They also discussed potential regional, or even global, research collaboration around impact reporting on critical issue areas.
Dr Heri Kuswanto, from the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Indonesia, said: “We are living on the same continent, in the same region, so the impacts of climate change cannot be separated to a single country. The same is true for SRM, and that’s why we need to collaborate.
“When collaborating with researchers from neighbouring countries, we come up against the same issues, like drought, flooding or even coffee production. By having the same ideas of the SRM impact in these particular issues, we will be able to show very strong evidence to policymakers to support their decision whether SRM should be accepted or not.”
On the second day, the focus first turned to the technical infrastructure needed to support regional climate and SRM modelling, including data, tools and coordination. Degrees’ Staff Scientist Dr Lili Xia introduced the GRID-CC project, a programme funded by ARIA in the UK that aims to improve quality and access to climate data for the Global South. This led the participants to discuss the possibility of creating a technical report on the state of SRM science and conclusions so far on potential impacts for the region.
Degrees’ Policy Engagement Director Dr Marcos Regis da Silva then gave a presentation about how decisions are adopted by UN bodies, giving context to how scientific information is used in such processes.
Finally, discussion turned to what form regional collaboration might take going forward. Prof. Babatunde Abiodun, from the University of Cape Town, gave a virtual presentation on the newly formed African Climate Intervention Research Hub, which is bringing together SRM and climate researchers across Africa. He explained how the Hub was set up and the participants talked about ways in which something similar might work across Southeast Asia.
Dr Patricia Ann Jaranilla-Sanchez, from the University of the Philippines Los Baños, said: “I think skill building doesn’t happen in one single country – it should be a coordinated effort, especially in Southeast Asia. Even if the Philippines seems to be an isolated archipelago, actually a lot of things that happen in neighbouring countries can also happen in the Philippines, for example, typhoons that pass by the Philippines go on to Thailand or China or other places. It’s all interconnected. So, for me, since we are in the same area, experiencing the same stuff, it’s good to collaborate.”
Participants
Philippines team:
- Dr Patricia Ann Jaranilla-Sanchez, University of the Philippines Los Baños
- Mr Hanz Lester Lunas, UPLB Interdisciplinary Studies Center for Water
Indonesia (2018) team:
- Dr Heri Kuswanto, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember
- Ms Brina Miftahurrohmah, Universitas Internasional Semen Indonesia
Vietnam team:
- Dr Hong Do, Nong Lam University – Ho Chi Minh City
- Dr Tu Le, Nong Lam University – Ho Chi Minh City
Thailand team:
- Dr Pornampai (Ping-Ping) Narenpitak, National Science and Technology Development Agency
- Mr Siriwat Kongkulsiri, National Science and Technology Development Agency
Malaysia team:
- Prof. Mou Leong Tan, Universiti Sains Malaysia
- Dr Juneng Liew, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
Guest presenters:
- Prof. Govindasamy Bala, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru
- Dr Simone Tilmes, National Center for Atmospheric Research, USA
