Amarante, Armand AngeloGLOBAL

Pintor, Ryan Johnson

Villanueva, Lance Christian

WARMING INFOMERCIAL

Climate change is definitely upon

us. You dont need to have a
scientific mind to realize this as
recent natural calamities have
shown in the Philippines and also
swept through some parts of
Southeast Asia causing hundreds
of casualties and losses to the
economy. Typhoons Ondoy and
Pepeng in 2009 flooded Metro
Manila, Sendong in 2011 which
was recognized as the worlds
deadliest storm in 2011 and Pablo
in 2012. This is a little
uncomfortable and makes us a
little bit nervous about our future.
To lessen our worry about this, it helps to ask questions and get answers. Its 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 implemented the Climate Change Commission (CCC). The CCC coordinates
and provides oversight and policy advice on programs and projects on climate change. The CCC
also takes a strong stand in international negotiations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The study called the Climate Public Expenditure and Institutional Review or CPEIR provides a
general backdrop of projected increases in global temperature and its corresponding effects.

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 Green
House Gas (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 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 predicts the rise of
the sea level. It also projects the occurrence of frequent and stronger typhoons and intense heat in

Amarante, Armand AngeloGLOBAL

Pintor, Ryan Johnson
Villanueva, Lance Christian

WARMING INFOMERCIAL

the summers and heavy rains and flooding during rainy season. It also tells of the awful
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. For example agriculture 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
countrys GHG emission will continue to increase in the years to come. This growth will be due
to a growing economy, 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:

Strengthen the planning, execution, and financing framework for climate change

Enhance leadership and accountability through monitoring, evaluation, and review of

climate change policies and activities

building capacity and managing change

The report also calls on the government to address several barriers to effective implementation of
the climate change agenda.