Climate change impact- a social equalizer and a divider in the Philippines

by Stanley Buenafe Gajete international multiplatform journalist

Climate vulnerability is one of the key reasons why developing and least developed countries face a difficult challenge to progress in full, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. The Philippines, being one of the developing countries in Southeast Asia, and prone to natural disasters like typhoons from the Pacific Ocean, cannot escape this reality.

While the country barely contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions, it is at the forefront of the climate crisis. It is situated along the typhoon belt in the Pacific and is usually visited by an average of 20 typhoons annually, five of which are destructive, according to the Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC).

The Philippines faces risks from the effects of climate change. The consistently extremely high temperatures in the ocean brought by this phenomenon make typhoons even stronger and more frequent, which eventually causes extreme damage and casualties.

One of these was Super typhoon Haiyan, known locally as "Yolanda", which hit the country ten years ago and killed more than 8,000 lives. It was the country’s worst-ever natural disaster so far and one of the strongest typhoons in world history.

The national government cannot provide much funding for long-term mitigation, recovery plans, and stable infrastructures as typhoons pass through regularly. Most of the time, budgets are usually allotted for “immediate” and “short-term” disaster preparedness and response.

In 2022, World Bank Lead Economist Souleymane Coulibaly said during the Philippines Country Climate Development Report conference that “damages from climate change are a threat to the Philippine economy. It is likely to reduce GDP substantially, but the range of possible outcomes is wide.”

The World Bank said the Philippines might incur a 3.2% average loss in its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2030, and as much as a 5.7% loss by 2040 “if there is no action by the government and the private sector.”

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Climate change impact equalizes the society

There are physical and political boundaries that set territories but these lines are becoming meaningless when a natural disaster like a typhoon hurtles several communities, producing extreme flash floods, landslides, and mudslides causing damage to properties and countless casualties.

On September 25, 2022, Super typhoon?Karding?(International name Noru) hit the Philippines. The 11th?tropical storm that hit the country in 2022, made its first landfall in Burdeos, Quezon Province Sunday afternoon then made another one in Dingalan, Aurora Province in the evening. It traversed the central part of Luzon Island before it left the country on early Monday, September 26.

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The said super typhoon left more than 108,000 affected Filipino farmers and fisherfolk. Damage to the agriculture sector reached US$5.6 billion according to the country’s agriculture department almost a week after its onslaught.?

While natural disasters like this are common in the Philippines, their impact is becoming worse over the years.

World Bank Country Director for the Philippines Ndiame Diop said temperatures in the Philippines will continue to rise by the end of the 21st century. Changes in rainfall patterns will become more prominent, and extreme weather will become more frequent.

“Without action, climate change will impose substantial economic and human costs, affecting the poorest households the most.”

Regardless of the income of one province, town, or city, when a strong typhoon hits, its effect is inevitable. It also affects everyone no matter the social or income status of the individual.

Some affected residents said?Karding?was stronger than typhoon?Ulysses?(Vamco) in 2020.?

“Ito sabog sabog na lahat tapos yung mga paninda wasak na lahat pati kusina namin. Wala nang tulugan kumakain nga kami sa labas at doon na kami nagluto. May mga bagyo nang dumating pero ito na nga yung pinakamatindi talaga winasak kami lahat dito,”?Brece Inao, an affected resident and a business owner said.

(TRANSLATION: It was a huge blow and the goods from our mini-store were all destroyed, including our kitchen. We have no place to sleep. We actually eat outside where we cooked. There have been past typhoons, but this is so far, the worst, and it destroyed everything we had.)

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Disaster divides society too

As an environmental journalist from the country, I witnessed some communities have a difficult time moving forward from the ill effects of typhoons, especially when local leaders do not seem to care.

After the onslaught of one natural disaster last year, I visited one flooded coastal community in Northern Luzon and how affected residents are coping. They explained they were surviving on their own and cleaning the area. However, some local leaders seem not to care. They did not even visit affected individuals to assess the situation after.

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The knowledge and understanding of climate change, especially by policymakers, would determine how ready they are, their priorities, and their actions for affected communities. Some have attainable and realistic measures, while others do not have. While everyone is affected by the impact, solutions might depend on the leaders’ capacity to adapt and to decide for the safety of his or her community.

I was in Dingalan, Aurora to cover the landfall of super typhoon?Karding?last year. Dingalan is a coastal town in the eastern part of the Philippines where fishing is the primary source of livelihood for local residents. The said province was placed under typhoon signal number 5 (185 km/hr. or higher), which is considered one of the strongest typhoons most people had experienced in their lifetime, myself included.

Local officials were challenged by the movement and increasing intensity of super typhoon?Karding?but this led local authorities to ramp up their efforts and preparations.

Hours before the super typhoon battered Dingalan, rescue officials made another round of inspections in the area. They also checked the shorelines and made sure that no one was still outside.?

Near midnight and an hour after the typhoon hit the coastal town, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council immediately set off preliminary road-clearing operations. Several trees were uprooted and electrical posts were toppled, blocking major roads and highways. Local leaders believed their pre-emptive actions and forced evacuations in high-risk areas helped lessen the damage to persons and property.

Disaster will always serve as a litmus paper to all local leaders on how they respond, understand the situation, and create long-term plans for the safety of their constituents.

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Adaptation and political will as one of the solutions

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Developing countries face the greatest risks from climate change and would require international funding support towards adaptation. But local leaders should know how to utilize support funds and create concrete actions.

World Bank senior environmental economist Stefano Pagiola explained policy indecision and inaction would lead to huge damage costs, most especially to affected poor families.

“These will hamper economic activities and development…Responsibilities over climate action are often dispersed and duplicative, policies are partially implemented, and there is no capacity or resources from local government units,” Pagiola said.

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The agriculture sector is one of the most vulnerable sectors against climate change, which contributes around a tenth of the country’s GDP. The environmental economist also explained the role of climate-smart agriculture practices that the country should adopt, but of course, “this would depend on whether or not this is financially attractive for farmers.”

Meanwhile, country’s socio-economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said development plans should integrate climate change actions in order to disrupt and delay climate change impact since it is irreversible anymore.

The Philippine Development Plan for 2023-2028, according to Balisacan, contains environmental priority actions.

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“Priority actions will include mechanisms involving carbon pricing and incentivizing local government units to focus on more climate-friendly projects, such as electric vehicles, sustainable tourism, biodiversity protection, and energy efficiency,” he said.

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Meanwhile, the Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) of the Philippines emphasizes how climate change affects the country's development goals, including opportunities for both public and private sectors towards climate action.

International Finance Corporation (IFC) Acting Vice President for Asia and the Pacific, John Gandolfo said, “The business leaders and bankers who embrace climate as a business opportunity and offer these low-carbon technologies, goods, and services will be the front runners of our future.”

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The CCDR recommends to:

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·???????Avoid new infrastructure constructions in hazard-prone areas;

·???????Improve water storage to increase water availability in times of crisis;

·???????Extend irrigation and promote climate-smart agriculture practices like Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD);

·???????Make social protection programs adaptive and scalable for climate shocks;

·???????Eliminate obstacles that private actors face in scaling investments in renewable energy;

·???????Ensure new infrastructures are energy efficient and climate resilient.

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While everyone is susceptible according to the United Nations, the safety of vulnerable communities will not only depend on the efficiency and effectiveness of technologies, and economic strategies but also on the readiness of its own stakeholders and the ability of local leaders to lead.?

Meanwhile, affected Filipino farmers and fisherfolk are slowly recovering from the onslaught of the super typhoons. As they pray for better harvests to recoup their losses, they may as well pray for local leaders who understand what it takes to be climate resilient leaders.