Report on the results of a questionnaire survey of participants in the FY2020 Climate Change Adaptation Training

A total of 137 participants in the FY2020 Climate Change Adaptation Training held on July 31, August 7, and August 28, 2020 received questionnaire surveys (only local participants were anonymous) and 68 responded to these questionnaires. This section introduces some of the responses.

1.About the Training

Q.Lecture Levels on Basic Knowledge of Climate Change (Regional Climate Status and Future Projections)

Q.Levels of Lecture on Basic Knowledge of Climate Change (Climate Scenarios and Models)

In addition to comments such as "The provision of the latest information was very helpful" and "It was very easy to understand," we received requests such as "Implementation time was a little shorter", "Since it was difficult to teach other people about climate scenarios and climate models, we would like to deepen our understanding of them," and "I would like to explain each of the seven areas in which climate change impacts were observed in an easy-to-understand manner because technical terminology was difficult to understand further" and "I would like to explain each impact in an easy-to-understand manner."

Q.Introduction of Case Studies of Local Governments

In addition to comments such as "I was able to listen to concrete examples of how to collect information, and I was able to learn about the difficulties involved in intra-agency collaboration, and "I hope that there will be an increase in the number of cases that have interesting features for each region in the future," "I was able to listen to the problems of running (operation) after planning," and "I also asked you to introduce cases that suit the size of local governments because the methods of formulation and related organizations differ depending on the size of local governments (prefectures, ordinance-designated cities, core cities, towns, etc.)."

Q.Lectures on every STEP of manuals

We received comments such as: "It was very easy to understand by showing examples, flow charts, etc.," "I had the impression that even though I presented the plan formulation method with considerable specificity, it was still difficult to put it into the plan in accordance with the actual situation of the region," and "I had a better chance to give a detailed explanation by extending the lecture time a little longer."

Q. Have panel discussions been helpful for local governments to develop regional adaptation plans?

The answers "very useful" and "served as a reference" exceeded ninety percent. We also received requests for improvement, such as "I think it would be easier to understand if a single document summarizing the content of each local government was displayed on the screen at the time of the panel discussion," and "I felt that it would be easier to understand if there were some examples of back-calculation from the goals (final cost, the number of participants in secretariats and related departments, and the total time required for internal meetings).

Q. Have group discussions been helpful for local governments to develop regional adaptation plans?

Approximately 90% of respondents said that they were "very helpful" or "helpful". In addition, as improvement points, we received requests such as "I think it would have been better to configure a group of municipalities that have already formulated plans and municipalities that will be formulated in the future" and "I think there was a possibility that more concrete actions could have been found if there was time to ask questions about details after the group was announced."

Q.In addition to the content of the training, the training items that would be effective if the training were conducted.

We received proposals for training items such as "lectures and exercises on organizational theory and internal information sharing mechanisms," "discussions on methods and issues of progress management after formulation of regional adaptation plans," "lectures on national impact assessment and future forecasts," "lectures on associations between trends and adaptations by region and industrial structure," and "lectures on methods of impact assessment and regional impact assessment (methods of judgment)."

2.Training for Regional Adaptation Plan Revision

Q.Is a Lecture on Specialized Future Impact Projections Needed to Be Strengthened as a Regional Adaptation Plan?

Q.Areas of special interest (I want to give specialized lectures) ("I think it is necessary")

From the total of all participants, the highest level of interest in the field of "natural disasters and coastal areas" was drawn, followed by "Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries" and "Health".

Q.Expected training in addition to the above

We received requests such as lectures on general climate projections, training on how to handle climate models and climate scenarios, strengthening collaboration with other agencies and related municipalities at the Adaptation Center, collaboration with local organizations and NPOs, and introducing effective methods and examples of information dissemination, and concrete initiatives and policies for establishing a future vision for decarbonization by 2050.

3.On-line training sessions

Q.Participation in online training sessions

In order to prevent the spread of new coronavirus infections, we have established a program that allows employees to participate online. Regarding online training participation, more than nine percent of the respondents answered very good or good, and most participants rated online training implementation prospectively. In addition to comments such as "Reducing the Burden of Transportation" and "Reducing the Hardness of Participation," we received requests such as "Improving the Audio Viewing Environment," "Consideration for Ease of Questions online," "Initiatives to Promote Group Joint Work online," and "Consideration for Continuing the Concentration of Online Participants for a Long Time."

4.Demand for Ministry of the Environment and National Institute for Environmental Studies

We received a variety of requests and suggestions, including the following: "Provision of information and PR related to inter-ministry cooperation and promotion of cooperation among departments," "Provision of information on subsidy systems that can be used," "Distribution of e-mail magazines that provide information on climate change impacts and adaptation," "Active Lecturer dispatch to training sessions and lectures," and "Provision of tools useful for information collection, policy arrangement, and analyses that contribute to the formulation and operation of adaptation plans."

In this questionnaire survey, many people evaluated the content of the training, while we received various requests and suggestions regarding items that should be added to the content of the training and how to manage the online training. The answers we received from you will be used to support the promotion of adaptation by local governments in the future, such as enhancing the next training session. Thank you very much for your cooperation.