With the Philippines reeling from the effects of climate change, we are looking for ways to help the people in different communities.
In a report released by the Asian Development Bank, it was found that climate change is responsible for about $1 million in damages to the Philippine economy every day. The damage is not just monetary—it’s also human. According to recent studies, one in four Filipinos will be displaced by 2050 due to rising sea levels and flooding.
The ADB recommends investing in green projects and initiatives to mitigate these effects, but there is no strategy for this kind of investment right now.
The country has seen rising temperatures and increased extreme weather events, leading to increased flooding, droughts, and significant damage to the agricultural sector.
To help Filipinos recover from these disasters and prevent them from happening again, several things can be done:
- Implement sustainable development goals into local policies. For example, one of the SDGs is to reduce pollution in coastal areas by reducing carbon emissions—this could be accomplished by building green buildings that use renewable energy sources rather than fossil fuels.
- Increase awareness about climate change so people understand why it’s important to invest in clean energy solutions like solar panels or wind turbines rather than dirty energy sources like coal plants which pollute our air and water supply.
- Improve enforcement of environmental laws so companies are held accountable for polluting our oceans/coastlines with plastic waste from their factories or farms where livestock produce methane gas emissions
The Philippines, however, will need more support from international donors if they want all of these initiatives. And we also need to amp up the call for our own people to help in small, simple ways to conserve natural resources and not contribute further to ruining our environment.
The country has just come through a devastating typhoon season, with four major storms hitting the country between July and October. The storms left thousands of Filipinos homeless and killed more than 200 people. There was also widespread damage to crops and infrastructure, not to mention the millions of financial losses we suffered because of these.
The government and EACH OF US need to take tangible actions to address these concerns NOW. While there is still time. When there is still hope.
By Rasta Gutierrez