The country’s climate experts have identified the top 10 climate-induced risks and proposed action plans to minimize loss and damage to boost the country’s resilience to climate change.
The Climate Change Commission’s National Panel of Technical Experts (NPTE) said the top 10 climate-induced risks namely: (1) sea-level rise, (2) coastal erosion, (3) flooding, (4) increase in frequency and severity of tropical cyclones, (5) extreme drought, (6) temperature increase/rising urban heat index, (7) extreme rainfall, (8) climate influenced diseases, (9) wind patterns, and (10) biodiversity loss.
The top 10 climate-induced risks were identified in a roundtable discussion during the annual observance of the 14th Global Warming and Climate Change Consciousness Week.
To address these challenges, the NPTE has also laid out climate science, innovative technologies, and strategies for multi-sectoral cooperation for national and local governments to minimize loss and damage from climate-induced risks and achieve long-term resilience.
The roundtable discussion brought together state universities and colleges, higher education institutions, local government unit representatives, and various national government agencies, to highlight the importance of local involvement in climate action.
According to the NPT’s Dracie B. Zolenta-Nantes, there’s a need to push for collaboration between local government units and higher education institutions to generate regional databases on climate change concerns and issues, integrate climate change adaptation programs in university extension and research, reorganize disaster risk reduction management councils and increase community groups’ scientific knowledge on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation to inform the people and facilitate their access to the People’s Survival Fund.
Patricia Ann J. Sanchez said, for her part, that looking at the commonalities in terms of challenges in the cities of Cagayan de Oro, Ormoc, Angeles, Legazpi, and Tagum, some challenges, which include sea-level rise and coastal inundation, saltwater intrusion, waste management, higher rainfall intensity leading to higher flooding and rain-induced landslide, water supply and demand, drought, poor city zoning, and urban heat island effect, are happening and quite common in the five cities.
Meanwhile, Merriam M. Santillan, an engineer said the recent experiences in flood hazard mapping made clear that local government units are really in need of technical capacity-building activities, for them to maximize the use of the latest technologies, and to help them enhance their resilience and reduce their vulnerability to climate impacts like flooding.
“Therefore, higher education institutions must continuously engage with the local community to inform and capacitate them to mitigate the negative impacts of flooding, as well as in evaluating adaptation strategies,” Santillan added.
In achieving the mission of developing sustainable innovations, NPTE, in collaboration with SUCs, ensures a holistic approach toward climate resilience through science, technology, innovation, and policy recommendation for faster adoption and adaptation.
“We will support upscaling of adaptable and applicable technologies to other provinces to reach greater impact,” said Dr. Nathaniel R. Alibuyog.