ClimateChangeInThePhilippinesRin

1. Climate Change Adaptation
and Disaster Risk Reduction
Management: Philippines
Setting

2. Outline
 Greenhouse emissions
 Climate change impacts in the
Philippines
 The Philippines’ response so far to
climate change issues
 The way forward on climate change in
the Philippines

3. Snapshot of Greenhouse
emissions
Philippine's GHG Emissions by Sector (%), 2000
Transportation
14%
Manufacturing &
Construction
5%
Electricity &
Heat
16%
Other fuel
combustion
6%
Industrial
processes
4%
Land use change
and forestry
55%
Source: CAIT, WRI 2008

4. Climate Change Impacts in the
Philippines
 Vulnerability, Risks and Threats
 Climate Variability
> precipitation, temperature, and sea level
changes
 Sector Impacts
> agriculture, forestry and lands
> coastal areas, fisheries and marine resources
> water resources
> health

5. Vulnerability, Risks and Threats
 High vulnerability to
natural disasters
 Expect: more frequent
occurrence of El Niño
and La Niña events
 The poor at risk: high
poverty incidence; most
poor in natural hazard
prone areas or
dependant of natural
resources at risk

6. Climate Variability
IPCC 4 First National
Communication
Temperature ↑0.2º C per decade
GHG @ 2000 level ↑0.1ºC
↑2-3º C with doubling
CO2
Precipitation ↑ high altitudes
↓sub-tropical region
 Depending on location:
↑100%; ↑50%; or ↓
Sea Level ↑0.19-0.59 m (1990-2000) 100 cm with doubling
CO2 will innundate 129k
ha

7. Impact on agriculture, forestry,
and land
 Land degradation reduces productivity,
and changes in land-use in turn
increase emissions
 1990-2000: 3.3% rice production lost as a consequence
of typhoons, floods, drought.
 El Nino (97-98) resulted in ↓6.6% GDP in agriculture
production
 Degraded land causes migration to less productive land
 Loss of subsistence-based livelihoods: 35% of labor force
depends on sector
 55.9% of CO2 emissions from land use & forestry (2000)
 Loss of biodiversity due to habitat destruction

8. Impact on coastal areas, fisheries
and marine resources
 Sea level rise puts at risk coastal
activities (e.g., aquaculture) &
infrastructure
 60% of the population depends on marine resources
 Coral reefs contribute about $1.4 billion per year and
accounted for 10 to 15 percent of total annual fish yield
 Only 5-10% of mangroves and coral reefs in excellent
condition
 Decrease of up to 46% in live coral cover after the 1997-
98 bleaching event; highly bleached areas coincided with
areas of poverty and dense populations
 Loss of biodiversity due to habitat destruction thus
affecting fisheries

9. Impact on water resources
 SLR increases salinity/undrinkability of
water (evident in nearly 28 percent of
coastal municipalities in Luzon, 20 percent
in the Visayas, and almost 29 percent in
Mindana)
 Lead to ↑ 17% in wet season streamflow &
↓ 35% in dry season streamflow in
Pantabangan-Carranglan watershed (Lasco
et al 2006).

10. Impact on health
 Indicative trend that there is 10% to 58%
association between climate change and health.
Further research needed (1 Nat. Com.).
 May impact: under nutrition, cardio-respiratory
diseases, dengue and especially affect
diarrheal diseases and malaria(IPCC4)
 In 1998 malaria and other diseases increased
significantly as a consecuence of El Niño

11. The Philippines’ response so far
to climate change issues
 Policy and legal initiative
 Organizational
 Partnerships with International
Organizations
 Mitigation initiatives
 Adaptation initiatives

12. Response: Policy and legal
 Philippine Strategy for Sustainable
Development (1991)
 Rio Earth Summit and Philippine Agenda 21
(1992)
 UNFCCC ratification (1994)
 First National Communication on Climate
Change (2000)
 Kyoto Protocol ratification (2003)
 Bio-Fuel Act (2006)

13. Response: Organizational
PCSD 1992 Chart environment and
sustainable development
NDCC 1978 Policymaker on matters pertaining
to disasters
IACCC 1991 Coordinate CC related policies &
prepare position to UNFCCC
PTFCC 2007 Address and mitigate impact of
CC: energy and deforestation

14. Response: Mitigation
 2004-2010 MTPDP: participation in clean
development mechanism (CDM) and carbon
market; mitigation in Agribusiness chapter
 2004 to 2013 Philippine Energy Plan – new and
renewable energy development and promotion
 Clean Development Mechanism – reducing
GHGs through carbon trading:
 14 projects registered as of 10 September 2007
expected to prevent emission of 359,718 tons of
CO2 equivalent per year, that is <1% of annual
CO2 emissions
 Bio-Fuel Act (2006)

15. Response: Adaptation
 2004-2010 MTPDP:
 disaster risk reduction;
 adaptation in Agribusiness chapter;
 Green Philippine chapter
 2007 Albay Declaration
 Sparse mention in laws and planning
documents
 Fragmented adaptation measures especially in
vulnerable areas where most of the poor live
 Poor public awareness of impact of CC

16. Response: Partnerships
 Activity focus : most on capacity building
at the level of National Government
 Strategy focus : most on climate change
mitigation - air pollution reduction in
urban areas; CBFM in rural areas
 Sector focus : energy
 Area focus : urban areas

17. Mainstreaming climate change?
 Lasco et al (2007) interviewed 83
policymakers and scientists and found:
 About 95% thought mainstreaming climate
change is important
 Nearly 59% thought climate change had not
been mainstreamed
 Why?
 Lack of understanding/appreciation of CC,
lack of political will, lack of funding.

18. Way forward
At the national level:
 Formulate a Climate Change Framework
 Covering both mitigation and adaptation
 Oversight sectors agencies, LGUs and
private sector on how to mainstream climate
change in policies, etc
 Promote climate resilient policies,
programs, projects and institutional
capacity development
 More adaptation is needed!

19. Way forward (cont)
At the local level:
 Mainstream climate change in LGUs 5-year
development and investment plans
 Address short planning horizon of local
executives
Other policies:
 Improve the access to and affordability of CC
mitigation and adaptation technologies
 Further mobilize and diversify climate risk
management and financing schemes

20. …things to PONDER!
 The Philippines is a minor emitter but
mayor adaptor
 Highly vulnerable to climate change
 To date most focus has been on
mitigation especially in the energy and
transport sector
 More focus on adaptation is needed