The ‘International Symposium on Climate Change Adaptation 2024’ was held on April 23 at COEX in Seoul. Celebrating its 15th year as the largest domestic adaptation event, this year’s symposium was organized by the Korea Adaptation Center for Climate Change (KEI KACCC) and Korea Environment Institute (KEI), and hosted by the Ministry of Environment under the theme ‘Exploring New Pathways for Climate Change Adaptation Policies.’ It provided a platform to share adaptation trends in the international society and explore the direction of adaptation policies in Korea. The event was attended by over 150 government officials, academics, and experts from both domestic and international spheres, including KEI President Lee Chang Hoon, Vice Minister of Environment Lim Sang Jun, Climate and Environmental Ambassador Jo Hong-sik, and Joice Mendez from the UN Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change.

The symposium consisted of two sessions. The first session focused on ‘Global Trends in Climate Change Adaptation,’ where international adaptation policies and legal status and trends were shared, followed by discussions on the direction and implications of adaptation policies in Korea. The second session, themed ‘Advancing Adaptation with Engagement with Various Groups,’ featured presentations of adaptation activities by citizen groups and youth from various countries including South Korea, followed by discussions on the importance of diverse stakeholder participation and ways to enhance adaptation in Korea.

The symposium provided an opportunity to reaffirm the meaning and importance of adaptation as a method to address the increasingly serious negative impacts of climate change. It is hoped that this symposium will contribute to the effective implementation of climate change adaptation policies in Korea and the mainstreaming of adaptation in the future.