Climate change is definitely upon us. You don’t need to have a scientific mind to realize this, as recent natural calamities have shown in the Philippines, which also swept through some parts of Southeast Asia causing hundreds of casualties and losses to the economy: Typhoons Ondoy (International name: Ketsana) and Pepeng (Parma) in 2009 that flooded Metro Manila; Sendong (Washi) in 2011 which was recognized as the world’s deadliest storm in 2011; and Pablo (Bopha) in 2012. Certainly, this is a little discomforting and makes us a little bit apprehensive about our future. To lessen our anxiety about this phenomenon, it helps to ask questions and get answers. It’s also good to know if something is being done to address the problem – and know that it is being done right.
The Aquino government has been very aggressive in its approach to address the problem of climate change. It staffed the Climate Change Commission (CCC) and made it functional. The CCC coordinates and provides oversight and policy advice on programs and projects on climate change. It is also tasked to craft the National Strategic Framework on Climate Change and the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP). The latter serves as the country’s roadmap to effectively deal with the problem. The CCC also takes a strong stand in international negotiations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
To give more teeth to the government’s efforts to adapt to climate change, another law was passed creating the People’s Survival Fund (PSF). With an initial fund of P1 billion pesos (equivalent to US25 million), the special fund will be used for climate change adaptation programs and projects at the local level.
To ensure that the government stays on the right path, through the Climate Change Commission and the Department of Budget and Management, it has requested the World Bank to undertake a study to review government expenditures related to climate change and institutions with mandates to address climate change.
The study called the Climate Public Expenditure and Institutional Review or CPEIR, also provides a general backdrop of projected increases in global temperature and its corresponding effects:
- Globally, since 1950, ocean temperature increased by about 0.09oC
- Sea levels have been rising by 15-20 cm from pre-industrial levels with the rate nearly doubling from that of the past century.
- Industrial activity was non-existent in the Philippines during this period and any GHG emission could only come from agricultural and other normal processes. However, as a small and archipelagic country, the Philippines is highly vulnerable to sea-level rise. The report cited a study (Dasgupta et al. 2009) which listed the cities of San Jose, Manila, Roxas and Cotabato among the top 10 most vulnerable cities in the East Asia and Pacific Region to sea-level rise.
Based on the study, climate change clearly poses a threat to human survival. It foretells of the submergence of coastal communities due to sea-level rise. It also projects the occurrence of frequent and stronger typhoons, and of prolonged, intense heat in the summers and heavy rains and flooding during rainy season. It also tells of the dire consequences of these natural catastrophes to human habitation, food supply, the degradation of ecosystem services and eventual extinction of some species. This clearly shows that climate change is a development issue that threatens the gains and economic development attained in past decades. Agriculture, for instance, which relies on a stable, regular weather pattern will be adversely affected, if such pattern is disrupted by climate change.
While the Philippines is not a major green house gas (GHG) emitter, the report projects that our country’s GHG emission will continue to increase in the years to come. This growth will be due to a growing economy, heightened urbanization, increased demand and use of energy and the expected increase in the number of vehicles, all of which are highly dependent on crude oil for energy.
Given the above, the report recommends several measures along three main lines:
- strengthening planning, execution, and financing framework for climate change
- enhancing leadership and accountability through monitoring, evaluation, and review of climate change policies and activities
- building capacity and managing change
The report, to be launched on June 25, 2013 in Manila, also calls on the government to address several barriers to effective implementation of the climate change agenda.
Meanwhile, a survey commissioned by the World Bank and conducted by the Social Weather Station finds that many Filipinos say they are now experiencing the effects of a changing climate. The survey looked into the level of knowledge of Filipinos about the impacts of climate change as well as their personal experience/s about it. We’ll soon share the results of this survey on www.worldbank.org/ph, but in the meantime, perhaps there are those who are still in the dark about how to adapt to a changing climate, or how the government is working to mitigate its effects.
If you have questions about this topic or would like to share some observations about your environment, please post them in the comments section of this blog. Join the conversation on Twitter by sending your feedback to @worldbankasia and to @CCCommissionPh with hashtag #askCCC and we'll make sure to respond to them. We hope to address all your concerns and will be selecting five of the most pressing questions and answer them in a short video called 5 Questions, 5 Minutes to be posted on www.worldbank.org/ph. Ask now!
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there's a need for us to strengthen DRRM and capacitate communities to respond to and mitigate the impact of climate change.. since floods and other natural calamities are now becoming predictable, it is high time that governments and communities will work hand in hand in risk reduction especially in areas susceptible to hazards.. paradigm shift is now important in local policy planning to include... climate change...
Read more Read lessHaving visited the Philippines several times I find it hard to not think of its major city Manila as a green house emitter - the dirty diesel buses, open burning, and just the uncontrolled pollution would be a perfect look at what can happen if we don't get our hands around this problem.
What about development? They say a lot about it in my country. Here is what I think about it. Trees are cut down for development. Birds and animals migrate or die when their natural habitats are disturbed by development. When volcanoes/mountains become tourists spots, it is development. When mountains are converted into subdivisions and leisure parks, it is development. When our seas are on the list... of the most beautiful beaches of the world, it is development (nevertheless the garbage and pollution to our waters). We always think of having the best amenities, the best tourist spots, the best leisure parks, the best buildings, the best hotels, the best condominiums, the best beaches (public and those owned by few through club membership), the best in everything. Bottom is- why are we thinking and acting on climate change just now? What are we gonna do with the extreme temperatures that is already a product of our past decisions? Can we still go back when my countries forest covers consists 70% of our total land area and animals were many, not extinct? Can we still go to our waters and enjoy fishing because it's abundant of sea creatures? We may strengthen our policies, make laws again and again but if implementation is weak, it's still the same. Lesser evil is still evil as they say. I always hear this from my mother when my father would cut even a small tree and not replace it, "you are selfish! what about our children?"
Read more Read lessPut it simply: we aren't. The government and indeed, the Filipinos themselves are only aggravating the problem. Funds get misused, projects abandoned, leaders are oftentimes self-serving and corrupt, and Juan dela Cruz oftentimes just doesn't give a damn and goes along merrily. Statistics can say that rates are down, but I won't say the situation is improving when I still hear of barangays that keep... getting blindsided and devastated by floods and typhoons, despite the exact same thing happening last year and the year before that and the year before that... You think they'd learn by now, but no.
Read more Read less“Be the change that you want to see in this world.” This is a famous line from the great Mahatma Gandhi, considered as the father of Indian independence. For me, this simply means that if we would like to see change, we should be a model of that change. Climate change is considered as one of the most pressing concerns not only in our country but in the world. This is not a new issue but until now,... it seems that we are not taking it seriously, not until we can drastically see the long term effects of our actions against Mother Nature. I would just like to share my observation. I’ve been out of the country, in South Korea and Malaysia and I can say that compared to the Philippines, those two countries value their nature. Their environment is very clean. One thing they have that we lack is simply discipline. Let’s admit it. Most Filipinos have no discipline. Even if the sign says “Bawal magtapon ng basura dito,” you can still see the garbage beside. How many “Ondoy” do we still need for us to be awake and to take action in this climate change? Have we forgotten how many innocent lives were sacrificed because of the tragedy that we had in 2009? I can still remember that this tragedy is one of the most unforgettable part of the Philippines’ history. It seems that nature made its way in making us realize what we have done. I hope that our government will also put fighting climate change in one of its priorities. The best time in caring for our nature was 10 years ago. The second best time is now.
Read more Read lessFor one, if the primary cause of climate change is the destruction of our forest land then the answer is very simple.Complete prohibition of the cutting of trees and replanting all cogonal lands in the entire country. The cost production for a single plant to grow for three to five years is just minimal, maybe one peso per year and the government has a lot of money. Channel the pork barrel money for... three planting and we will solve the problem before the end of Pnoy's term. Likewise, require all filipinos to plant five trees per year and that would be around billion trees in three years time. It just need good leadership and motivation from our leaders.
Read more Read lessTHE JUNE 25, 2013 WORLD BANK REPORT I have read the World Bank report on Philippine Climate Change, namely “Getting A Grip on Climate Change in the Philippines: A World Bank Report”(1). I must say that our government deserves a pat on the back for developing programs and action plans such as the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP). After reading the whole report, there are some questions that... popped into my mind. It was mentioned there that departments focusing on climate change lack manpower, or as quoted from the report itself, “Departments have an insufficient number of knowledgeable and skilled staff on climate policy, financing, and institutions.” This insufficiency contributes to the “knowledge gap and the lack of a knowledge management system”. What are the specific ways to address these concerns, most especially on the lack of human resources part? Do these ways need financing knowing that we are also short of the financial means? As stated on the said report, “knowledge and capacity development is largely underfunded despite its importance and prominence in the NCCAP.” Also, according to the final results of the Employment Situation in January 2013 by the National Statistics Office (NSO), 33.7% of the total unemployed were high school graduates, 5.6% were post-secondary graduates, 13.1% were college undergraduates, and 16.9% were college graduates (2). That is a total of 69.3%, or roughly 2 009 700 Filipinos. This means that there are around 2 million Filipinos who could be trained, considering their literacy skills secondary to their educational attainment. Could this ‘lack of manpower’ issue settle the ‘underemployment and unemployment issue’ our country is also experiencing? Does allocating unemployed Filipinos to climate change projects help iron out these issues, thus hitting two birds with one stone? This will need some financing for the trainings, but at least we know where we will get the human resource. References: (1) “Getting A Grip on Climate Change in the Philippines: A World Bank Report”. Retrieved September 30, 2013 from http://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/getting-grip-climate-change-philippines (2) Employment Situation in January 2013 (Final Results). Retrieved September 30, 2013 from http://census.gov.ph/content/employment-situation-january-2013-final-results
Read more Read lessUpstreaming rather than solving issues at the tail-end. In order to solve this issue, the government should take a careful look on the primary cause of climate change. The establishment of Climate Change Commission (CCC) may be the first step of the society's aim to lessen, if not totally eliminate, pollution, green house gases and other factors contributing to climate change. Now that an agency has... been commissioned, the next step is to keep the nation informed. Efforts could yield higher outcomes if mainstreaming is implemented. In fact, climate change is a serious problem that does serious damage. Therefore, the urgency of this issue should be given enough attention not just by the national government but also by the commoners who have also been contributors to this issue. However, urbanization shouldn't be impeded. Actions that promote development should also render responsible citizenship. Maybe the Department of Energy (DOE) should also exert additional efforts to promote the use of renewable energy which will not compromise the environmental aspect of the society. Together with CCC, they are to work hand-on-hand in finding ways to solve climate change without hampering the country's growth. The best way is still to educate the Filipinos and to make them realize that their actions will influence the future. Now that its effects are being felt nationwide, I believe that everyone will take this issue more seriously. Nevertheless, everyone else will suffer.
Read more Read lessWhile I'm glad that the government has begun taking these steps, it leaves a lot to be desired. For one, awareness about climate change needs to be raised much more than the current state. The effects of climate change are obvious from all the natural disasters that recently came bringing about flooding and such, but these concepts are not connected to each other by everyone. The WB Report also states... that Knowledge and Capacity Development has always been on a lower budget. How could the people do their part if they don't know what's happening? All I've heard recently is a lot of flooding and lost work hours and revenue. While a fund for damages is good, I'm hoping the focus would be on development plans (for mitigation) that reflects foresight into the potential effects of climate change. We cannot stop development, but we can make it appropriate. The Philippines has many facets where it could start these steps, and I'm hoping the government will take the right steps with the right objectives.
Read more Read lessI remember one time that after a devastating flood here in my hometown in southern Philippines, one of our officials stated that much of what is causing climate change are the bigger industrialized nations which put out more greenhouse gases. And the consequences of that is smaller island countries such as the Philippines are gravely affected by it due to rising sea levels and typhoons. I know that... what’s done is done and we can’t turn on the blame game anymore. Everyone has to consciously do their part in mitigating the effects of climate change. I support the other comments here which state that information about the government’s projects on climate change should be disseminated very well to the public so that the people would know what part they can do on this. If the government has really been aggressive in solving this problem, then it’s time to strengthen its efforts. And not just think locally, but globally. We need to work with other countries because this is a global problem – a problem caused globally and can be solved globally. We could go on and on about this until radical changes have been done and we can sense a better environment all throughout the years. And just a thought, I mentioned this state of climate change to my Chemistry teacher before and she said climate change is just a phase that the world goes through and everything will go back to normal after a period of time. And how about typhoons which are a nature’s way of cleaning up the atmosphere? Is this true? What are your thoughts about this “nature’s way of spring cleaning?”
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