Salmon Jacob
Regional Climate Change Adaptation Senior Advisor, East Asia
Salmon Jacob is the Climate Change Adaptation Senior Advisor for World Vision East Asia, where he provides strategic leadership and technical guidance to strengthen climate action across the region. His work supports programmes in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, China, and Myanmar, helping field offices integrate climate resilience, environmental sustainability, and disaster risk reduction into development and humanitarian programming. With more than 25 years of experience in environmental and climate change work, including 16 years with World Vision, Salmon brings deep expertise in climate change adaptation and mitigation, disaster risk reduction, ecosystem restoration, and environmental sustainability. His role focuses on advancing climate-resilient development strategies, supporting resource mobilisation, building technical capacity across teams, and strengthening the organisation’s strategic positioning on climate issues within regional policy and development platforms.
Prior to his regional role, Salmon served as Head of Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction at World Vision India, where he led national-level climate and resilience programming and provided strategic leadership for environmental initiatives. His professional background also includes work in environmental consultancy, conducting Environmental Impact Assessments and Environmental Management Plans for major oil and gas industries, as well as academic experience teaching postgraduate environmental science students at Shivaji University in India. Under his leadership, World Vision’s climate agenda in East Asia has expanded significantly, with stronger organisational capacity, greater visibility in regional climate networks, and increased engagement of children and communities in climate action. He has championed initiatives that empower young people as climate advocates, supported the formation of green teams across country offices, and advanced diverse climate programmes focused on ecosystem regeneration, clean energy access, and climate-smart agriculture.
Salmon actively engages with regional and global networks, including the Climate Action Network Southeast Asia, the Asia Pacific Adaptation Network, and other multilateral platforms, collaborating with governments, UN agencies, NGOs, and academic institutions to strengthen climate adaptation and resilience strategies across Asia. He has also contributed to global environmental research and dialogue, including work on the Global Environment Outlook 7, and regularly publishes opinion pieces and analysis on climate issues in regional media platforms across South and Southeast Asia. His research papers have appeared in international journals, reflecting his long-standing engagement in climate science, policy, and development practice.
Salmon holds a Ph.D. focused on climate change and environmental degradation, an M.Phil in Environmental Science, and a Master’s degree in Environmental Management. His work consistently bridges science, policy, and community-driven solutions, ensuring that climate responses are both evidence-based and locally grounded.
Beyond his professional work, Salmon is deeply passionate about trees, biodiversity, and ecological restoration, often promoting home gardens and tree-growing initiatives as practical ways for communities to reconnect with nature and strengthen environmental stewardship. He believes that over the next decade the development sector must accelerate the transition toward low-carbon, climate-resilient development, prioritising green cities, restoration of degraded ecosystems, climate-smart agriculture, and stronger early warning systems to help vulnerable communities adapt to increasing climate risks.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Greenhouse Gases Accounting & Reporting
Environmental Impact Assessments
Community Development
