MANILA, 02 March 2022 – The United Nations’ latest climate science report released on Monday confirmed that climate change poses an existential threat to the long-term viability of the Philippine economy even as it has already hammered vulnerable communities. Climate change impacts are projected to worsen until world leaders ramp up emissions cuts, climate finance, and adaptation measures.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) launched its Working Group II (WGII) report, its most comprehensive review of climate vulnerability, impacts and adaptation measures since 2014. The report cited the latest research on current and future projected climate impacts to the Philippines, which includes reduced agricultural and fisheries productivity, death and major public health risks, climate-induced migration and displacement, and decreasing but intensifying typhoons.

The IPCC report stressed that if anthropogenic global warming breaches the 1.5 degrees temperature threshold by 2040, warming impacts can lead to an “unavoidable increase in multiple climate hazards and present multiple risks to ecosystems and humans.” Climate action efforts limiting warming close to 1.5 degrees Celsius in the same period can “substantially reduce projected losses and damages related to climate change in human systems and ecosystems.”

Reacting to the latest IPCC report and its implications for the Philippines, Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) deputy executive director Angelo Kairos dela Cruz said:

“The new IPCC report is littered with references to deepening Philippine vulnerabilities. It shows the country has been in emergency mode for over a decade, a condition aspirants for national and local public office need to understand properly and with a far greater sense of urgency. 

“The climate crisis does not recognize electoral cycles. Along with planning horizons stretching way beyond the flawed medium-term cycles, adaptation measures need to be in place in all sectors of the economy for the long haul. The IPCC report tells us we need to confront the way warming oceans can supercharge any of the 20 typhoons that enter the Philippine area of responsibility annually, and the way rising temperatures adversely affect agriculture and human health. The report clearly shows an increase in cases of diarrhea, leptospirosis, and typhoid fever – considered major health problems in the Philippines – following heavy rainfall and flooding. Losses in rice production and heat stress have also been linked to increased migration. We need all hands on deck to establish a truly resilient, long-term development strategy.

“The report cited the way ‘fragmented governance, lack of mainstreaming between climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction’ is making our already dire situation even worse. Whoever wins in May needs to put the climate crisis at the very top of their priorities, with verifiable means to measure the way resilience is established at the heart of our macroeconomic fundamentals. Using GDP and productivity alone will no longer suffice and will only make us more vulnerable, as the  pandemic’s impact continues to demonstrate.

“It’s also time to localize IPCC reports, given the country’s archipelagic context. Climate change impacts are locally specific and vary from place to place, and we need local scientists now more than ever to generate more new research as well as validate, interact and contribute to the global scientific effort. 

“The AR6 WGII report reaffirms what Filipino scientists have been saying all along. Climate change should be comprehensively incorporated in development planning to better manage risks and select the most responsive adaptation approaches. Climate smart agriculture and agricultural insurance, for example, protects our farmers and crops from potential damages due to the impacts of intense storms, extreme heat, and socio-economic losses.

“The report affirms the reality we have long raised. Current levels of climate finance are grossly insufficient and the little that is mobilized still largely goes to greenhouse gas mitigation. The Philippines needs to raise its voice on the inadequacy of finance even more and even as it sets in place accountability mechanisms that demonstrate effective, efficient, and transparent use of scarce climate change resources.”

Supporting this is ICSC associate for community resilience Arturo Tahup, saying that:

“Harnessing solar and other renewable energy is not just a means of climate change mitigation. It must be considered an integral part of humanitarian response and even long-term development planning. Solar Scholars continue to pay it forward in action, showing support and solidarity across oceans with the training in Fiji. With the severity of climate impacts outlined in the recent IPCC report, and both countries on the frontlines of the climate crisis, this is as crucial as ever.”

 

ABOUT

The Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities is a Manila-based climate and energy policy group advancing climate resilience and low carbon development.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the international body for assessing the science related to climate change. The IPCC was set up in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to provide policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation. Three Filipino scientists are lead authors of the IPCC AR6 WG2 report: Rodel Lasco, Juan Pulhin, and Rosa Perez. The next part of the sixth report is expected to be released next month.   

CONTACT

AC Dimatatac, Media Coordinator
media@icsc.ngo
+63 998 546 9788, +63 917 149 5649

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