1. What is Climate Change?

Climate change is the measurable alteration in patterns of temperature, rainfall,

humidity, wind, and the seasons. It is a longer trend of changes than weather, involving
change that occurs over months or years. Since climate is a prevailing condition within a
region, changes may adversely effect environmental systems within that region.

Plant and animal life depend greatly on the predictable patterns of climate. Climate
change can severely impact upon life within an affected region. For example, changes in
the timing of seasonal rains or temperature may alter when plants bloom, when insects
hatch, or the cloud formation that turns into rainfall that feeds mountain streams. A
change in this simple part of the system can drastically shift the pollination of crops, the
migration patterns of birds and fishes, water and food supplies.

Since climate change is a prevailing trend, unlike weather it is difficult to adjust

back to a more favorable state. Adverse conditions will likely continue to grow more and
more severe, until action is taken that will measurably slow the process- and until the
change reverses entirely.

2. What are the factors that affect climate?

Among the factors that affect climate conditions across the world, the most
important are:

• Distance From The Sea

• Ocean Currents
• Direction of Prevailing Winds
• Relief
• Proximity To The Equator
• The El Nino Phenomenon
• Human Activity
Distance from the Sea influences rainfall, as clouds form when warm air from inland areas
meets cool air from the sea. Coastal areas tend to be cooler and wetter than inland areas.
Continents experience great variances in temperature, as moisture from the sea evaporates
before reaching regions deepest inland.

Ocean Currents are constantly moving surface and deep water currents driven by
temperature and salinity differences. These directly influence temperature by absorbing
heat from the tropics and releasing it in the form of warm air and precipitation in latitudes
that normally would be too cold in winter. Cooling water also absorbs carbon dioxide from
the atmosphere. Many ocean creatures rely on the ocean current for migration and triggers
for growth.

Prevailing Winds are those that blow most frequently across a particular region. The wind
zones help the predictable weather patterns that delivers rainfall. The wind belts are to the
atmosphere as the ocean streams are to the hydrosphere.

Relief is the height of terrain. Mountains and other elevated regions are colder and receive
more rainfall than low lying areas because as altitude increases, air becomes thinner and is
less able to absorb and retain heat. Mountains also directly influence temperature by
removing moisture from the air before these proceed further inland. Air behind mountains
re-absorb heat from the sun and blow hot and dry.

Proximity to the Equator influences temperature because of the uneven heating from the
sun. Less surface area for the sun to heat means quicker and easier loss of heat through
precipitation, such as what happens in winter.

The El Niño phenomenon is the seasonal and abnormal warming of the Pacific, which
leads to extreme variations in global climate as this influences the ocean and wind cycles.
The La Niña phenomenon is similar but opposing event, a cooling of ocean temperature
below the norm.

Human Activity until recently has not been thought capable of influencing global events.
Mass deforestation, rise in CO2 levels, ozone depletion and pollution are slowly altering
climate conditions over seasonal changes expected from the heat cycle.
3. What is the climate of the Philippines?

The Philippines according to the Köppen Climate Classification System has

the "Tropical Rainforest Climate" all over the country. This is characterized by high
temperatures and high atmospheric humidity throughout the year. Rainfall is expected
through the year, but the frequency follows:

June to October is known as the 'rainy season', with greatest degree of precipitation.
The southwest monsoon brings in heavy, moisture-laden air from the Pacific.
December to May is known as the 'dry season', with March to early June often the
hottest summer months. The seasonal trade winds now blow in from the northeast,
delivering less rainfall.

A third characteristic feature of Philippine climate conditions is the recurrence of

strong typhoons. These most often happens in the period of June to November, driven by
the heat cycle of the Pacific Ocean.

4. How is the climate of the Philippines being affected?

Of the factors that influence climate, Distance from the Sea, Relief, and Proximity to
the Equator are geographical factors that cannot be changed. Ocean Currents, Direction of
Prevailing Winds and the El Niño Phenomenon are seasonal changes in global conditions.
Only Human Activity has effects both direct and cumulative.

A global increase in temperature is

already discernible, but measurements of
warming across the Philippines reflects upon
reduced precipitation. Rains indicate favorable
cloud cover and the removal of heat from the
atmosphere. Temperatures have spiked in the
upper and lower portions of the country.
Warmer waters in the north produce storms
that draw in winds into storms that travel up
past Taiwan and into mainland China instead
of raining over Northern Luzon.
 Ironically, warmth also means greater evaporation from the ocean, which means
more damaging storms arriving more often. While other areas are receiving less
precipitation, other areas are experiencing an increase driven by strong ocean winds.
Tropical storms have steadily been increasing in intensity.

High ocean temperatures have also been correlated to increased instances of 'coral
bleaching' or the death of coral reefs. Not only are coral algae sensitive to a narrow band of
temperatures, but the absorption of carbon dioxide by the oceans are also making the
oceans more acidic.

As climate change is expected to intensify unless measures are taken, environmental

damage is can only escalate.

5. What does this mean for the Philippines?

The Philippines as an archipelago facing the Pacific is extremely vulnerable to

seasonal changes. Stretches of warm weather might become times of drought, while rainy
seasons would see disastrous levels of rainfall and tropical storms.

For a nation that already suffers through at least forty tropical storms per year,
more and stronger typhoons are a frightening prospect. Typhoons not only cause billions
in property and economic damage, immediate loss of life, and disruption of living patterns,
but also starvation and disease that lingers past the storm itself. It takes years to fully
recover from a super-typhoon, and experiencing several over a year may cripple the
country. Measures to harden against typhoon damage is prohibitively expensive, and
requires sacrifices from other portions of the national budget.

Typhoons alone are not the primary threat. Even lesser storms can cause flash
floods and ruin crops, while sparse rainfall threatens the water supply not just for crops
but for human consumption. An increase in temperature tends to accompany greater use
of energy to beat the heat, and an increase in power usage strains the national power grid.
A reduction in harvest, rising electrical demand, all of these directly lead to an increase in
the prices of basic commodities.
 Reduced precipitation has already been linked to dryness in vegetation, and the
source of extreme wildfires across America and Russia. The Philippines may be less at risk,
but there are regions where flash-fires would cause great harm. By itself, dying forest cover
also leads to more fragile soil retention, which leads to land slides and the erosion of fertile
soil.

Increased precipitation is a danger by itself, since the expected damage is seasonal-

extreme dryness followed by extreme wetness; and flash floods would wipe away alongside
homes and crops the topsoil that would have been useful for recovery.

Meanwhile, warmer and more acidic waters would be harmful to the coral reefs
around the coasts, which serve as home for a host of marine life. Alongside the mass deaths
of fish, is the more pronounced algal bloom 'Red Tide' often triggered by the El Niño, and
not only would the fishery industry be much reduced, there would be less demand due to
the risk of ingesting toxins. This would be a devastating blow to coastal communities.

The ones that will be most affected by the climate change are the poor, those
involved in agriculture and fishery. As the ones responsible for feeding the country, their
plight cannot be overlooked. Service and manufacturing sectors will not be able to support
themselves as the price of basic commodities rise and people must cut down on what they
deem as non-essential luxuries.

One more thing expected to increase is the gap between the rich and poor, as those
more able to weather the economic changes must find other more favorable places to
invest or hold over their own assets rather than put them to risk on ventures in a climate of
uncertainty. With the flow of currency so disrupted, and the numbers of the damaged,
homeless and hungry increase... it is desperation that breeds thoughts of revolution.

But the sky and the seas aren't affected by changes in political leadership, and the
these are problems that won't be appeased by spilled blood. Only prevention can defeat
climate change, and preparation to endure worsening conditions so that society does not
collapse.
 A Research Paper
on

CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE PHILIPPINES

in Partial Fulfillment for the Subject

Technical Environment

submitted to:
Prof. Jaime Jonathan Guerrero

submitted by:
JEROME B. ALFONSO
AB-English
IV-B