The government of the Philippines has recently organised a new expert panel to investigate the necessity for including climate indicators when reviewing government projects. Another significant KPI of the expert panel is to give localised data, particularly to local government units (LGUs) and to assist them in securing green finance, in addition to a number of other recommended action plans to alleviate the effect of climate-induced hazards in the country.
The following are the top ten risks identified by the expert panel:
1) biodiversity loss;
2) wind patterns;
3) climate-influenced illnesses;
4) extreme rainfall;
5) rising temperature and urban heat index;
6) extreme drought;
7) increasing frequency and severity of tropical cyclones;
8) floods;
9) coastal erosion; and
10) rising sea levels.
The government is concerned that the identified climate-related risks will force species migration and extinction as a result of habitat destruction, increase the frequency of pest and disease outbreaks, including non-communicable diseases, cause landslides and forest fires, threaten marine resources and cause shoreline erosion, exacerbate malnutrition, endanger coastal communities, and jeopardise the country’s food security and water sources.
Recent environmental studies have shown that changing environmental conditions have most impacted areas like Bulacan, Pampanga, Cavite and Metro Manila. The latest measurements showed that these areas have already experienced a rise in one to two metres of seawater and the government is worried that this might endanger the country’s water supplies and food security. Apart from this, the country has also expressed concern for tiny island settlements such as those who are currently living in Visayas, because these communities might have to evict from the islands due to rising seawater.
The Visayas, or the Visayan Islands, are one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao. Located in the central part of the archipelago, it consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are also considered the northeast extremity of the entire Sulu Sea.
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