Climate change causing ‘economic devastation’ to PH, says ranking solon

Published November 17, 2022, 9:42 AM

by Ellson Quismorio

A House leader has highlighted the annual economic losses that the Philippines suffer from natural calamities, even as she called on government and stakeholders to immediately address the issue of climate change. 

(Unsplash)

San Jose Del Monte City lone district Rep. Florida “Rida” Robes said in a privilege speech earlier this week that the country loses around $3.5 billion yearly from natural calamities based on World Bank (WB) estimates.

“We can definitely feel the economic devastation of climate change. To illustrate, recently, [super typhoon] Karding alone destroyed at least P160 million worth of high-value crops,” Robes said.

She said no less than 5,239 Bulakenos–1,571 families, including 1447 children and 231 senior citizens–were displaced and forced to evacuate due to the floods, which also cost the lives of five emergency volunteers.

“In the aftermath of super typhoon Karding, this representation would like to spark an honest dialogue to three inconvenient—yet vital—truths that affect our nation and humanity as a whole…The pressing and urgent need to strengthen our policies on environmental protection and adapting to climate change,” noted Robes, who chairs the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability.

She said it is lamentable and alarming to know that the Philippines, in terms of global metrics, ranked second in the 2018 Climate Risk Index among countries heavily affected by extreme weather events.

She said the Philippines is also 11th out of 180 nations in the 2020 Environmental Performance Index (EPI).

Robes reckoned that climate change is no longer imminent. “We are already in a state of climate emergency,” she said.

“Our President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. addressed the UN (United Nations) General Assembly who declared that the country is the fourth most vulnerable country to climate change…This injustice must be corrected, and those who need to do more must act now,” she said.

Robes described the floods caused by Karding in her home province of Bulacan as “unparalleled and alarming”. She said significant areas in San Miguel, San Ildefonso, and San Rafael—areas not typically prone to flooding—were engulfed in deep floodwaters due to heavy rains.

The ranking solon also gave honor to the five emergency responders who died while saving residents who were stranded in a flood.

Robes said the “Bulacan Five”–George Agustin, Troy Justin Agustin, Marby Bartolome, Narciso Calayag Jr. and Jerson Resurreccion died “in the line of duty and service to our country.” She said they were ordinary men who displayed extraordinary acts of service.

Robes has already filed two measures empowering emergency volunteers with House Bill (HB) No.5584, or the Emergency Volunteer Protection Act of 2022; and HB No.5650 or Magna Carta for Public Disaster Risk and Emergency Responders.

1B kids at extreme risk from climate change

By Agence France-Presse October 20, 2022 

SOME 1 billion children are at "extremely high risk" due to climate change harms, a rights group warned on Wednesday, adding that youths' living standards failed to improve in the last decade.

The KidsRights index, based on figures supplied by UN agencies, also said more than one-third of the world's children, some 820 million, were currently exposed to heat waves.

Water scarcity affected 920 million children worldwide, while diseases such as malaria and dengue affected some 600 million children, or 1 in every 4, Dutch NGO KidsRights said.

The KidsRights Index is the first and only ranking that measures how children's rights are respected annually, ranking Iceland, Sweden and Finland as the best for children's rights, and Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Chad as the worst, out of 185 countries.

Of the top three nations, only Sweden's ranking changed from the previous year, moving to second from fourth place.

Marc Dullaert, founder and chairman of KidsRights, described this year's report as "alarming for our current and future generations of children."

"A rapidly changing climate is now threatening their futures and their basic rights," he said.

"There has been no significant progress in the standards of children's lives over the past decade and on top of that their livelihoods have been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic," Dullaert added.

The Covid-19 pandemic had a severe impact on children, who were unable to get food or medicine due to disruptions and the closure of clinics, leading to some 286,000 under the age of 5 years dying as a result, KidsRights said.

For the first time in two decades, the number of child laborers has risen to 160 million, representing an increase of 8.4 million over the last four years, said the KidsRights Index, which is compiled together with Rotterdam's Erasmus University.

KidsRights highlighted Angola and Bangladesh, saying the two countries significantly improved their scores in regards to children's rights.

Angola has more than halved its under-5 child mortality, while Bangladesh has reduced the number of underweight children under 5 years by almost half.

But the report also slapped Montenegro for low vaccination numbers, ranked 49 on the index.

The survey uses UN data to measure how countries measure up to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

PH backs climate initiative

Robert Borje, vice chairman and executive director of the Climate Change Commission (CCC). TMT FILE PHOTO

By Kristina Maralit, Manila Times

October 10, 2022

THE Philippines renewed its call for a stronger global initiative on climate change during a meeting of stakeholders ahead of the Conference of Parties (COP27) climate summit in Egypt next month.

In the PreCOP27 summit held in DR Congo last week, Robert Borje, vice chairman and executive director of the Climate Change Commission (CCC), stressed the importance of reaching an agreement and urgent collective action to address climate change and its impacts.

"PreCOP27 in Kinshasa provides parties and partners a vital opportunity to discuss at length what is important for all in order to make significant headway in addressing climate change and its impacts, particularly for developing at-risk and vulnerable states like the Philippines," he said, adding that developing nations suffer the most while contributing the least to climate change.

On adaptation, Borje said the Philippines pushed for fast-tracking finance, technology and capacity development to build adaptive capacities, improve resilience and reduce vulnerabilities of developing countries, in accordance with the Global Goal on Adaptation.

On mitigation, the official stressed that emissions avoidance must be part of the mitigation action to accelerate just transition to low carbon development in developing nations.

Regarding climate finance, he pointed out that the New Collective Quantified Goal must include the key elements of transparency, responsiveness, and scale.

It emphasized that climate finance must be accurately reported while being needs-based and commensurate to the needs of potential recipients.

From the $100 billion climate finance commitment of developed countries under the Paris Agreement, the New Collective Quantified Goal must set a higher target for climate finance to help implement climate change-related strategies and measures.

Marcos tells world to act fast vs climate change

With a view to realizing climate justice for vulnerable and at-risk developing nations, the Philippines underscored that access by least developed and developing countries to financial mechanisms must be streamlined and simplified.

On loss and damage, the Philippines raised concern that least developed and developing countries can no longer absorb and afford the cost of further losses and damages due to climate change and its impacts.

Borje argued that there must be an agenda item on loss and damage, as well as dedicated space to discuss the operationalization of the Santiago Network.

Targeted to be fully operationalized by 2023, the Santiago Network is meant to catalyze technical support of organizations, bodies, networks and experts for developing countries to avert, minimize, and address climate change-related loss and damage.

UN forum seeks adequate funding for climate change

Additionally, the Philippine government underlined that dedicated discussion space must be provided for the financing for loss and damage, and the governance structure of the Warsaw International Mechanism as established to implement approaches to loss and damage — all in line with the Paris Agreement and the Glasgow Climate Pact, among other international frameworks and commitments.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, in partnership with the Arab Republic of Egypt as the incoming COP27 Presidency, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, convened 60 countries in Kinshasa for PreCOP27.

CP27 will be held on November 6 to 18 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

Climate change, now a risk factor for heart disease – expert

 

By Red Mendoza, Sunday Times

October 2, 2022

CLIMATE change is now one of the cases of having cardiovascular disease, according to a leading heart expert.

This comes as the Philippine Department of Health (DoH) has joined forces with the World Health Organization and other partners to strengthen their collaboration against numerous cases of cardiovascular diseases.

In an event recently held in Taguig City, Professor Fausto Pinto, president of the World Heart Federation, said that air pollution is now emerging as one of the main causes of heart disease, which is one of the top causes of death across the globe.

"Air pollution is responsible for around seven million deaths per year, and one of the systems that air pollution that has a significant impact is the cardiovascular system, so that is one area that we are ensuring that we can tackle this global problem," Pinto said.

Pinto emphasized that there is now evidence to support the claim that air pollution and climate change can, from a physiological standpoint, affect the cells in the respiratory system that is also linked with the cardiovascular system.

He said that they are now working on developing strategies on how to reduce the impact of air pollution and climate change, noting that this link between the phenomenon and cardiovascular diseases is "worrying."

Dr. Bente Mikkelsen, director of noncommunicable diseases of the World Health Organization, said that every country in the world has the "tools and protocol-based treatment that is available for the population."

"If you provide prevention and treatment, we will be able to save millions of lives and secure prosperity for countries," Mikkelsen said.

Mikkelsen said that worldwide, less than 50 percent of all heart disease detections are not diagnosed, and 40 percent of them manage their heart disease due to the high cost of out-of-pocket spending for medicines.

Drought, floods linked to infectious diseases

By Associated Press

Researchers looked through the medical literature of established cases of illnesses and found that 218 out of the known 375 human infectious diseases, or 58 percent, seemed to be made worse by one of 10 types of extreme weather connected to climate change, according to a study in Monday's journal Nature Climate Change.

The study mapped out 1,006 pathways from the climate hazards to sick people. In some cases, downpours and flooding sicken people through disease-carrying mosquitos, rats and deer. There are warming oceans and heat waves that taint seafood and other things we eat and droughts that bring bats carrying viral infections to people.

Doctors, going back to Hippocrates, have long connected disease to weather, but this study shows how widespread the influence of climate is on human health.

"If climate is changing, the risk of these diseases are changing," said study co-author Dr. Jonathan Patz, director of the Global Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Doctors, such as Patz, said they need to think of the diseases as symptoms of a sick Earth.

"The findings of this study are terrifying and illustrate well the enormous consequences of climate change on human pathogens," said Dr. Carlos del Rio, an Emory University infectious disease specialist, who was not part of the study.

"Those of us in infectious diseases and microbiology need to make climate change one of our priorities, and we need to all work together to prevent what will be without doubt a catastrophe as a result of climate change."

In addition to looking at infectious diseases, the researchers expanded their search to look at all types of human sicknesses, including non-infectious illnesses such as asthma, allergies and even animal bites to see how many maladies they could connect to climate hazards in some way, including infectious diseases.

They found a total of 286 unique sicknesses and of those 223 of them seemed to be worsened by climate hazards, nine were diminished by climate hazards and 54 had cases of both aggravated and minimized, the study found.

The new study doesn't do the calculations to attribute specific disease changes, odds or magnitude to climate change, but finds cases where extreme weather was a likely factor among many.

Study lead author Camilo Mora, a climate data analyst at the University of Hawaii, said what is important to note is that the study isn't about predicting future cases.

"There is no speculation here whatsoever," Mora said. "These are things that have already happened." One example Mora knows firsthand.

About five years ago, Mora's home in rural Colombia was flooded — for the first time in his memory water was in his living room, creating an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes — and Mora contracted Chikungunya, a nasty virus spread by mosquito bites. And even though he survived, he still feels joint pain years later.

Sometimes climate change acts in odd ways. Mora includes the 2016 case in Siberia when a decades-old reindeer carcass, dead from anthrax, was unearthed when the permafrost thawed from warming. A child touched it, got anthrax and started an outbreak.

Mora originally wanted to search medical cases to see how Covid-19 intersected with climate hazards, if at all. He found cases where extreme weather both exacerbated and diminished chances of Covid-19. In some cases, extreme heat in poor areas had people congregate together to cool off and get exposed to the disease, but in other situations, heavy downpours reduced Covid spread because people stayed home and indoors, away from others.

Longtime climate and public health expert Kristie Ebi at the University of Washington cautioned that she had concerns with how the conclusions were drawn and some of the methods in the study.

It is an established fact that the burning of coal, oil and natural gas has led to more frequent and intense extreme weather, and research has shown that weather patterns are associated with many health issues, she said.

"However, correlation is not causation," Ebi said in an email. "The authors did not discuss the extent to which the climate hazards reviewed changed over the time period of the study and the extent to which any changes have been attributed to climate change."

But Dr. Aaron Bernstein, interim director of the Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment at Harvard School of Public Health, Emory's del Rio and three other outside experts said the study is a good warning about climate and health for now and the future. Especially as global warming and habitat loss push animals and their diseases closer to humans, Bernstein said.

"This study underscores how climate change may load the dice to favor unwelcome infectious surprises," Bernstein said in an email. "But of course it only reports on what we already know and what's yet unknown about pathogens may be yet more compelling about how preventing further climate change may prevent future disasters like Covid-19."

Climate change the 'real threat' for PH

By Kristina Maralit

(UPDATE) CLIMATE change, not the territorial dispute with China or the Russia-Ukraine conflict, is the real threat to the country's security, incoming national security adviser (NSA) Clarita Carlos said Thursday.

Carlos said environmental concerns create a chain reaction affecting food, human and national security, especially among developing countries like the Philippines which bear the brunt of the effects of global warming.

The 76-year-old Carlos said the so-called powerhouse nations' vow to cut carbon emissions by 2030 will remain a promise since many of them have gone back to using sources of energy that are harmful to the environment.

"India is going back to coal, some countries are going back to using fossil fuel. That is the reality on the ground," Carlos said during a roundtable discussion with the Philippine Council for Foreign Relations (PCFR) in Pasig City.

"The promises of de-carbonization by 2030, 2050, they are by the wayside in the meanwhile because human survival is at the highest premium," she said.

Carlos said the government must start recalibrating policies on environmental protection.

The Philippines, she noted, has one of the best environmental laws in the world. The problem is that they are not being fully enforced.

The Marcos administration, she said, can consider giving tax breaks to buyers of electric vehicles to entice more motorists to switch from fossil fuels whose prices have been skyrocketing.

Further pushing the use of solar energy is another solution, taking advantage of the Philippines being a tropical country, especially amid disasters and calamities, Carlos said.

PH, China to act on climate change

One proposal is to establish solar farms in military camps to reduce their dependence on power from grids that are disrupted during typhoons or earthquakes.

All these make up the "broad strokes" of a general security strategy Carlos said she will present to President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

"I will have the President design the national strategy. I can present to him a draft, in broad strokes," she added.

The Philippines has been strongly urging developed nations to ramp up their assistance to developing countries that continue to grapple with climate change.

Marcos invited to UN Climate Change meet

Several weeks ago, President Rodrigo Duterte called on wealthier nations to be held accountable for failing to reduce their carbon emissions.

Marcos, meanwhile, has been invited to attend the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP27, to be held at the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh in November.

What causes typhoons in the Philippines? Is it because of global warming and climate change?

 

Holly Benedicto

Bisaya. Has travelled all over the Philippines, some Asian countries and the United States. Scientific background. Has worked extensively with Americans.

The Philippines is next to the Pacific Ocean where the typhoons are formed.

Typhoons have always been a problem in the Philippines and other countries like Japan that are near the vast Pacific.

Every year, without fail, during the months of June to December, we are plagued with monsoons, typhoons and rain, while we get super hot temperatures and little rain from January to May.

The flooding you see could be from climate change but many areas ALWAYS get flooded, especially those that are low-lying.

This is to be expected on a yearly basis like clockwork…and yet, many are still caught unawares. I wish I knew of a study that explored disaster preparedness across the Philippines so I can give you stats but all I have is opinion: while government agencies like the Philippine Coast Guarda and the Philippine Red Cross are prepared to help in times of disasters, the average Filipino is NOT.

Definitely something we need to be thinking about.

A climate disaster despite a landmark historic treaty

While the rainy season officially started here in the Philippines, we are still sweating in summer temperatures. And not only us. In my home country Germany and neighboring European countries, the temperatures climbed up to 38 degrees. And as if it wasn't enough, California  hit over 50 degrees Celsius yesterday.That has an impact again on the whole world.

The Antarctic is nearing a climate disaster despite a landmark historic treaty. Burning fossil fuels threatens one of the last areas on earth left unspoiled by extractive human industries. Author Ajit Niranjan captionedit  it in one of his latest write ups: "The remote continent of Antarctica is melting!"

Yes, when the Antarctic Treaty came into effect 60 years ago, its signatories had little idea how successful it would be. World leaders agreed to leave an uninhabited continent twice the size of Australia free from war, weapons and nuclear waste. They declared that the southern polar region, which is 98% ice and does not have an indigenous population, should belong to no country and instead be devoted to collaborative science. In the following decades, extra rules to stop companies mining minerals and drilling for oil turned Antarctica into the biggest nature reserve in the world.

About 90% of the world's surface freshwater is locked up in the Antarctic Ice Sheet and, as the planet heats up, glaciers whose collapse would deluge coastal cities from New York to Jakarta are melting and growing less stable.

World leaders have pledged to limit warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius this century, but their current policies will heat the world by almost 3 C, according to Germany-based research group Climate Action Tracker. A study published in the journal Nature in May found that a global temperature rise of 3 C would lead to an "abrupt jump" in the pace of Antarctic ice loss that would, in turn, trigger "rapid and unstoppable" sea-level rise.

Alessandro Antonello, a historian at Flinders University in Australia who has written a book about environmental politics in Antarctica, said "the central environmental challenge to Antarctica today is undoubtedly climate change." Yet, of the 54 parties to the treaty that protects it, the 29 with voting rights include the world's biggest historical polluters, such as the US and Germany, as well as fast-growing emitters like China, India and Brazil.

 "There is definitely a level of hypocrisy," Antonello added. And yes, he is so very, very right, my dear readers.

For scientists, cooperation meant refueling planes at bases of other countries — essential in such a hostile landscape — and sharing findings. Teams of scientists in the Antarctic have collected climate data stretching back hundreds of thousands of years and in 1985 they discovered a dangerous hole in the ozone layer above it.

Earth's polar regions are warming faster than the rest of the planet. But unlike the North Pole, which has become the focus of geopolitical tensions as melting ice reveals rich resources, the South Pole has few known minerals or fuels to exploit other than some reserves of coal and oil. That has helped shield it from the attention of extractive industries.

Still, the Antarctic is big and similar enough to nearby geological areas to likely be home to more resources. Together with the region's inhospitable landscape — with thick ice and harsh weather making any commercial extraction costly — the Treaty's 1991 ban on mining and drilling has kept Antarctica free from anything other than scientific exploration. The ban is indefinite and may first be reviewed in 2048.

"Climate breakdown is drastically changing the scenery in the Antarctic, '' said Laura Meller, an ecologist and polar expert with Greenpeace Nordic, which successfully campaigned to protect the region from mining and drilling. "For life in the water surrounding the continent, that is a drastic transformation." Species such as the Patagonian Toothfish are still being hunted unsustainably in the Southern Ocean surrounding the Antarctic. Seabirds like albatrosses and petrels get caught up in huge nets as by catch gets thrown away.

The legal uncertainty also applies to tourism. Antarctica receives about 70,000 tourists each year, mostly in the summer. While this is low relative to the size of the continent, they mostly go to the same several dozen locations, which concentrates their impact. Antarctica has no police force and — without a sovereign government — it is still unclear who would pay for the damage done by foreign visitors in the event of large-scale disasters like an oil spill from a grounded ship.

Still, as an example of global cooperation, the Antarctic Treaty has not been matched — though some experts are skeptical that it could be replicated in today's political climate of rising populism. 

Another climate change global problem without solution?

THAT MOVES ME

My column in  Mindanao Daily, BusinessWeek Mindanao and Metro Cagayan de Oro Times.

TWO major issues concern me: climate change and the coronavirus Covid-19. Millions of people around the world are exposed to the virus and dangerous levels of heat stress - a dangerous condition that can cause organs to shut down. Many live in developing countries and do jobs that expose them to potentially life-threatening conditions. These include being out in the open on farms and building sites or indoors in factories and hospitals.

Science editor David Shukman shares the worries with me and many others. Summers are becoming hotter and hotter for humans. Global warming will increase the chances of summer conditions that may be "too hot for humans" to work in.

When we caught up with Dr. Jimmy Lee, his goggles were steamed up and there was sweat trickling off his neck. An emergency medic, he's laboring in the stifling heat of tropical Singapore to care for patients with Covid-19. There's no air conditioning - a deliberate choice, to prevent the virus from being blown around - and he notices that he and his colleagues become "more irritable, shorter with each other".

Predictions shake me: more than 3bn could live in extreme heat by 2070. The monetary Siberian heatwave is clear evidence of climate change. 2019 was Europe's warmest year on record. And Dr. Lee's personal protective equipment, essential for avoiding infection, makes things worse by creating a sweltering 'micro-climate' under the multiple layers of plastic.

We can all imagine that working in a tropical climate can be extremely uncomfortable. One danger is that overheating can slow down our ability to do something vital for medical staff - make quick decisions.

Another is that they may ignore the warning signs of what's called heat stress - such as faintness and nausea - and keep on working till they collapse. If the body is unable to cool down properly so its core temperature keeps rising to dangerous levels and key organs can shut down. It happens when the main technique for getting rid of excess heat - the evaporation of sweat on the skin - can't take place because the air is too humid.

According to Dr. Rebecca Lucas, who researches physiology at the University of Birmingham, the symptoms can escalate from fainting and disorientation to cramps and failure of the guts and kidneys.

What impact will climate change have? As global temperatures rise, more intense humidity is likely as well which means more people will be exposed to more days with that hazardous combination of heat and moisture.

Another study, published earlier this year, warned that heat stress could affect as many as 1.2 bn people around the world by 2100, four times more than now. It's not a new thing for me and you: people need to drink plenty of fluid before they start work, take regular breaks, and then drink again when they rest.

But scientists around the globe agree:  avoiding heat stress is easier said than done. There's a practical problem as well - some people do not want to drink so they can avoid having to go to the toilet. And another fatal attraction in my opinion: For many people, there's a professional desire to keep working whatever the difficulties so as not to let colleagues and patients down at a time of crisis.

Highly motivated people can actually be at the greatest risk of heat injury, says Dr. Jason Lee, an associate professor in physiology at the National University of Singapore. He's a leading member of a group specializing in the dangers of excessive heat, the Global Heat Health Information Network, which has drawn up guidelines to help medics cope with Covid-19. It's spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the US weather and climate agency Noaa.

This climate change will be a bigger monster and we really need a coordinated effort across nations to prepare for what is to come.

200 endemic trees planted in DdO's celebration of “Arbor Day”

Davao de Oro Province--- The 25th of June marks the celebration of the “Arbor Day”, a special day dedicated to tree planting, mitigating the effects of climate change, pollution and calamities due to the dwindling number of trees in terrestrial planes.

With this, the Provincial Government of Davao de Oro spearheaded by the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) in partnership with DENR planted more or less 200 seedling of endemic species of trees such as Molave, Almon, Bagtikan, Bayug and Dau at one of the sites of “Oplan Liwanag” center in barangay Libasan, Nabunturan Davao de Oro.

Together with the employees of PLGU-Davao de Oro, Municipal-LGU employees, partners in the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Libasan Cooperative participated in the activity.

“Dili lang kutob sa pagpananom ug kahoy ang atuang ginahimo, kundili atua pod kining alimahan, pinaka-main nga purpose niini mao ang pag hatag ug importance sa atung environment kay ang kinaiyahan kung walay kahoy maglisod pod kitang mga katawhan.” said Eugene Alaba, PENRO-DDO Department Head.

The “Oplan Liwanag” center was chosen as the site planted with the endemic trees to ensure its growth and survival providing comfort for our brothers and sisters undergoing healing for a life anew.

(Jasteen Abella, ID DAVAO DE ORO)

Climate change only for the poor?

I think, this question has been answered already many times. Fact is: climate change exacerbates inequalities, not only in poor, developing countries, but also in industrialized, wealthy ones. But, the poor should be given special importance when planning, experts and German National Television's author Irene Banos Ruiz say.

Since the topic "Climate Change" arrived already the last global spot, climate hysteria grows. As drought, flooding and fires lay claim to headlines and landscapes across the world, and as countries and cities grapple with the cost of it all, the highest price is already being paid — by those who are poor or marginalized, Ruiz voiced out. And yes, she is so very right. Such are the findings of a recent study by  researchers Noah S. Diffenbaugh and Marshall Burke. It reveals that the economic gap between rich and poor countries would have been smaller without the climate crisis.

Eight of the ten countries most affected by extreme weather events — such as hurricanes and monsoon rains — between 1998 and 2017, were developing nations with low or lower-middle income, the Global Climate Risk Index of the NGO Germanwatch shows.

"Regions like Southeast Asia are very vulnerable, not only because they are often hit, but because they lack resources to deal with the impact," David Eckstein, co-author of the Index.

Of course, living in the Philippines and experiencing the climate change here since decades, I wasn't surprised any more reading the answer to the question: Where is the most extreme weather? 

1.Puerto Rico, 2. Honduras, 3. Myanmar, 4. Haiti, 5. Philippines, 6. Nicaragua, 7. Bangladesh, 8. Pakistan, 9. Vietnam, 10. Dominca. Although natural disasters are not new, climate change increases their frequency and intensity, making it harder for those affected to cope with the impacts.

"Often, these countries are in the process of rebuilding when they're struck again by an event," Eckstein said.

Oxfam International says the two cyclones that hit Mozambique in rapid succession earlier this year left 2.6 million people in need of food, shelter and clean water. Thousands have had to look for a new place to live.

According to the Switzerland-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre they were among seven million — out of a total 10.8 million people internally displaced between January and June this year — forced to leave their homes because of weather-related disasters and earthquakes.

But even people who do not currently live in extreme poverty are at risk of becoming poor. I listened Harjeet Singh, climate policy lead with the NGO ActionAid International, during a television interview.. He recently visited the Sundarbans, where land has been swallowed by rising sea levels. "People there had resources, but their lives have been completely devastated by climate change impacts," he said. "They've fallen into the poverty trap."

He witnessed a similar situation in Senegal's Saloum Delta, where sea level rise is making it hard for communities to farm or fish. That's how people "become ultra poor and migrate without any resources, and become unskilled labor in urban areas," he explained.

Economic disparities due to climate change aren't unique to poorer countries.  A 2017 study published in the peer-reviewed journal, Science, says higher temperatures in US states such as Arizona will lead to a more intense use of cooling systems, which in turn implies greater energy use and higher costs for consumers.  

Some northern states, however, could benefit through reduced heating use, among other factors. In Maine, for instance, the most northeasterly US state, the gross county product could increase by up to to 10%, while in Arizona it could fall by as much as 20%, the study shows.

In the Spanish capital, Madrid, over 20% of households are at risk of energy poverty — the lack of capacity to keep homes warm in winter and cool in summer, a study requested by regional authorities shows.

Allow me to quote Eckstein from Germanwatch again, who says that initiatives to help countries recover are important, "but what is also necessary is for these countries to prepare in advance."

I.e. Bangladesh, he says, has improved its position in the Climate Risk Index because it deals with climate change impacts better than other countries. Among other measures, it has built seawalls to prevent flooding and introduced early warning systems to evacuate people on time.

Social protection mechanisms to help people relocate and learn new skills also matter.

"If relocation needs to happen, it has to happen in a much more planned manner," Singh said. But since the affected countries often lack the economic and technical capacity to go this far, international support plays a decisive role, he added.

Singh agrees that preventive planning is the key to reducing the inequality gap intensified by climate change.

"Current players are leading us to a 3 degrees [Celsius] warmer world," he said. "We really hope that we don't reach that point, but our planning has to be with that thinking." I can only agree with that my dear readers.

[[My column also @ MINDANAO DAILY NEW, BUSINESSWEEK MINDANAO and CAGAYAN DE ORO TIMES.]]

Climate Change ...

... Compounds Hunger and Conflicts

There are still people on this globe proclaiming that there is no climate change. It's useless to convince them any more. Fact is: the climate changed already massive and added to warfare worsening hunger and conflicts worldwide, according to one of Germany's largest aid groups. Welthungerhilfe has said many poor have "no more reserves or resilience left" when hit by extreme weather.
   
The world's southern hemisphere poor were bearing the brunt of climate change caused by rich, fossil-fuel consumers of the global North, Welthungerhilfe President Marlehn Thieme said in Berlin several days ago.

Presenting the Bonn-based organization's annual report for 2018, Thieme said climate change amounted to a "question of justice" in ensuring that resources — still sufficient worldwide to feed everyone — reached the poorest.

Hunger victims, often already cut off to outside help by conflict parties, no longer had livelihoods and sustenance as droughts, floods and storms wrecked their fields and eliminated their farm animals.

Yes,  climate change threatens peace efforts. Climate change is threatening the success of peacekeeping missions, according to a briefing by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) circulating on Tuesday. Eight of the ten countries hosting the biggest multilateral operations "are located in areas highly exposed to climate change," it said.

Germany pushes climate change as security risk. Floods, drought and mass migration: all factors why Germany has made the UN's response to climate change its priority at the Security Council. But political roadblocks at home and abroad could complicate action.

If we watch around, we can easily notice, that weather extremes are compounding plight. Citing Cyclon Idai, which in April ravaged Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, President Thieme said weather extremes had become an additional "fatal link" hampering aid workers and restoration of communal nutrition.

Drastic declines in land and oceanic harvests amid rising average temperatures required answers in the form of early warning systems, weather insurance and drought-durable seeds.

Allow me to quote Welthungerhilfe's Secretary General Mathias Mogge. He said, "Coupled with warfare, in which conflict parties cut off entire regions from the outside world, extreme weather was a compounding factor".

The spiral of conflict is becoming more and more dramatic. Villagers are loosing their entire livelihoods. Resources like water and grazing land became scarce, leading to further conflict, in societies where people already had little to withstand emergencies.

Reporting on its 2018 efforts, Welthungerhilfe said it had spent €213.6 ($243) million on the fight against hunger and poverty last year. Public donors provided €155.4 milliion for project work. Private donations amounted to €54.9 million. The largest public donor was the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), which provided €38.6 million.

Hunger, thirst and conflicts because of climate change - meanwhile a never-ending story. Daily in our news. Global and local news. We can't keep our eyes closed any more.

The year climate change hit

HAVE MY SAY

By KLAUS DÖRING

IT has been the year 2017. The devastating effects of climate change are becoming apparent — and the world has begun taking action. But, sad to say, the frequency of extreme weather events has shown, and - we are starting to run out of time.

I remember my Facebook-friend in Spain emailing me last year about the sweltering heat with 48 Celsius degrees in Seville.

Unprecedented heat waves swept across the globe in 2017, leading to droughts, wildfires and even deaths. Australia started the year with temperatures near 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit), the “Lucifer” heat wave brought the mercury above 40 degrees Celsius throughout Southern Europe in July and August and scorching heat hit India’s most vulnerable people. Get ready for next summer... .

“Crazy” weather has been a hot topic for elevator conversations this year — and yes, extremes are starting to become the new normal - also this year 2018. No continent was spared in 2017 when it came to extreme weather. From droughts to hurricanes, from smog to forest fires, these events killed thousands of people — and have been directly linked to climate change. Yes, extreme weather on the rise in Europe - a headline making me as German national speechless.

Southern Europe, Canada and the United States were among the areas worst hit by devastating wildfires. Both in California and Portugal, 2017 has been the deadliest year on record for wildfires. Even icy Greenland wasn’t spared. Climate change, along with the dangerous combination of a lack of sustainable forest management and careless — or malicious — human activity, has been to blame. About Greenland later in this write-up.

Major storms were also responsible for the year’s most catastrophic events. Hurricane Harvey in the US, Irma and Maria in the Caribbean and Katia in the Gulf of Mexico left destruction in their wake. While hurricanes aren’t unusual in tropical regions, the frequency and intensity of these most recent storms — fueled by warming oceans — were out of the ordinary. But they may be a sign of things to come, if the world doesn’t take action to limit climate change.

At the same time, at this worry me a lot as resident in the Philippines, global sea levels reached a new high in 2017, with the polar ice caps melting at an accelerating pace. Warmer ocean temperatures contributed to the breakaway of a 1 trillion ton iceberg from the Larsen C ice shelf in Antarctica in July, at 5,800 square kilometers (2,200 square miles) one of the largest icebergs ever recorded.

Flooding caused the death of hundreds of people in the Philippines, Greece, Germany and Vietnam, to name just a few countries. Meanwhile, drought is increasing the pressure on regions of Africa and Asia, such as Somalia, South Sudan and Pakistan, where armed conflicts are already making daily life a struggle for survival.

Often forgotten, the struggles of the world’s oceans also increased this year. Despite several initiatives protecting the Great Barrier Reef, coral bleaching has continued at an alarming rate. Ocean acidification, meanwhile, is on track to make the seas uninhabitable for many aquatic creatures, endangering entire ocean ecosystems.

Governments across the globe are taking action to address current and upcoming climate threats, and leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron, who took office in May 2017 and pledged to fund climate research, have been a source of hope for many. But I won’t go so far calling Emmanuel Macron, Europe’s climate hero!

But 2017 will also, unfortunately, be remembered for the US withdrawal from the 2015 Paris climate accord, along with President Donald Trump’s other moves away from the fight against climate change. It’s not his only try to shock the whole world as we could experienced during his London-visit just yesterday and the day before.

Flooding caused the death of hundreds of people in the Philippines, Greece, Germany and Vietnam, to name just a few countries. Meanwhile, drought is increasing the pressure on regions of Africa and Asia, such as Somalia, South Sudan and Pakistan, where armed conflicts are already making daily life a struggle for survival.

And, the Great Barrier Reef coral bleaching even worse than expected.

Climate change will bring some surprising effects: Bumpy plane rides, greater mood swings and more volcanic eruptions are just a few of the things we can expect over the decades to come. And yes, even more lightning.

We’re already familiar with some of the more evident effects of global warming such as melting glaciers and more extreme weather events. But few people are aware of some of the other, less obvious - and completely surprising - impacts of our changing climate, which could have a serious impact on the way we live.

I experienced it during my last trips. Airplane turbulence will get worse. Unfortunately, we can expect air travel to become even more stressful - thanks to the effects of climate change.

A recent study by researchers at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom looks into the relationship between clean-air turbulence and anthropogenic climate change. Using the popular flight corridor between Europe and the United States as an example, they examined various strengths of turbulence and how each will change in the future if carbon dioxide levels were to double.

The results showed that severe turbulence is likely to dramatically increase by up to 149 percent as a result of stronger wind shears within the Earth’s jet streams. These are narrow, fast-flowing, meandering westerly currents found near the tropopause, which are frequently used by commercial airlines as a means of saving time and fuel.

Icebergs will clog up shipping lanes. While icebergs are common in these waters, their number and timing is unusual. Experts say climate change could be to blame. The icebergs begin their journey after breaking off a glacier in Greenland, which is influenced largely by winter weather, especially storms accompanied by strong winds. Rising temperatures also lead to the melting of ice sheets, causing more chunks of ice to break off and float into the open ocean.

Lightning will strike more frequently. Heat energy acts as a form of fuel for storm clouds. So as global temperatures continue to rise, we can also expect more active thunderstorms. Although there are a number of downsides to this phenomenon - including a probable increase in wildfires - lightning actually produces a powerful chemical reaction that can be beneficial for Earth’s atmosphere. Lightning creates a special form of a greenhouse gas called nitrogen oxide, which indirectly regulates other potentially harmful greenhouse gases, like ozone and methane.

In places like Iceland, volcanoes and glaciers have coexisted for thousands of years. However, as glaciers melt due to rising temperatures, the pressure on the Earth’s mantel decreases, which in turn increases magma amounts while reducing stress on a volcano’s magma chambers. This leads to higher volcanic activity, along with the travel chaos that often follows.

There is a historic precedent to this prediction: 12,000 years ago, Iceland was covered by a glacier as thick as 2 kilometers. When that glacier abruptly melted due to a warming trend, a huge surge in volcanic activity followed.

Even our mood isn’t immune from climate change. Researchers in social psychology have long highlighted the link between warmer climates and higher levels of impulsive behavior and even violence. This has been shown in regions closer to the equator - if global temperatures continue to rise as expected, we could also begin to see behavioral changes in areas further north.

In addition to having to contend with warmer weather, there is also evidence that climate change will further fuel global conflict by adding stress on natural resources like food and water. We can expect our oceans to gradually become murkier as the effects of climate change become more apparent over time.

While climate change is often associated with higher temperatures and drought, it is also expected to increase annual rainfall in some areas of the world. This will create faster-flowing rivers, which in turn churns up more silt and debris before this water meets the ocean.

This phenomenon has already been observed along the coast of Norway, where the ocean water has become increasingly darker due to an increase in precipitation and melting snow. Talking about our health: Allergies will worsen. As if getting angrier wasn’t enough: If you’re one of the many people who suffer from springtime allergies in Euope, you should probably start stockpiling your medication. Warmer temperatures also mean longer and earlier blooming seasons for allergy-triggering plants like dandelions and ragweed. Pollen counts are likely to double over the next three decades in the United States - and “sneezing season” will also kick off in the future as soon as the first week of April.

Believe it or not, deserts are actually teeming with life - also in the form of bacterial colonies. These colonies grow so large, in fact, that they form strong layers known as “biocrusts” that prevent soil erosion.

But different kinds of bacteria thrive in different temperature ranges. So as the climate continues to change quickly, these bacteria could find it difficult to adapt. If the desert soil could become more prone to erosion, it would not be fertile enough to support plants and feed animals.

Ants play a more important role in the planet’s ecosystem than you may realize. In spite of their status as a pest, ants helps plants by controlling other insects, circulating vital nutrients and turning over the soil, among other things.

But ants appear to be ill-equipped to handle the rising tempertatures caused by climate change. A study carried out at Harvard Forest in Massachusetts revealed a susceptibility of ants to even slight temperature increases, with the most important seed-dispersing species essentially shutting down and retreating to their underground nests until conditions improved. Think about it, if ants are around you....

Latest news on my desk: Authorities warned shore-side residents of Innaarsuit Island in Greenland they were at risk of being flooded, after a 100-meter (300 feet) high iceberg was spotted drifting off the coast on last Thursday (July 12, 2018!). The police are on high alert and have moved a search-and-rescue helicopter closer to the remote village, which has about 170 inhabitants.

Climate change and its results. Meanwhile, all of us become victims of it.

Celebrating 10 Years of German-Philippine Climate Protection and Biodiversity Conservation

German Ambassador Dr. Gordon Kricke on 30 May welcomed numerous “friends of IKI” at his residence to celebrate Philippines-German cooperation in the fight against climate change and for the conservation of biodiversity. With numerous participants from government agencies, NGOs and German experts, the cheerful “IKI birthday party” brought together partners engaged in climate action with very diverse backgrounds – but all of them united through their involvement in Philippine-German joint efforts.

The International Climate Initiative (IKI) is a program of the German government established in 2008 with the Philippines as one of IKI’s focus countries in Southeast Asia. Since then the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) has supported projects in the Philippines with over 62 Million Euros. And Germany is even stepping up its climate engagement with the Philippines: the BMU has just dedicated additional funds of up to 35 million Euros for new activities – all chosen following the Philippine government’s declared focus.

To open the event, Ambassador Kricke highlighted important achievements of IKI in the Philippines throughout the last ten years, citing for example improved management of and livelihood in 160 out of 240 protected areas, successful protection of coastal environments and wildlife, or ambitious climate activities like the development of the Philippines national REDD+ strategy. For the Philippine government, Prof. Ernesto Pernia, Secretary for Socio-Economic Affairs and Director General of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) confirmed the Philippine government’s appreciation for the German support through IKI. For GIZ, the main – but not exclusive – implementing agency of IKI activities, its Philippines Country Director Irina Scheffmann illustrated the width and depth of the Philippine-German climate partnership.

The first ten years of IKI collaboration have brought intensive cooperation – to be continued in the years to come!

For more information about the International Climate Initiative (IKI), visit: https://www.international-climate-initiative.com/…/about-t…/

Photo: from left: Dr. Bjorn Surborg, Principal Adviser and Cluster Coordinator for Climate Change, GIZ Philippines, Dr. Klaus Schmitt, Principal Adviser for Forest and Climate Protection Panay Phase II, GIZ Philippines, Mrs. Irina Scheffmann, Country Director, GIZ Philippines, Prof. Ernesto Pernia, Secretary for Socio-Economic Affairs and Director-General of the National Economic and Development Authoririty (NEDA), German Ambassador Dr. Gordon Kricke and Dr. Roland Schissau, Deputy Chief of Mission, German Embassy Manila

Human play role in climate change

My column in Mindanao Daily Mirror

Already in 2013, the UN climate panel blames humans for global warming and warns of rising temperatures and says global warming could have devastating effects as the risk of heat waves, floods and droughts increases.

Rather than debating the facts of climate change, oil companies in the dock in California are questioning how long a climate consensus has existed. Two cities are suing oil companies for costs related to global warming.

An attorney for the Chevron oil company acknowledged in federal court that the company agreed with the scientific consensus showing humans are responsible for global warming.

But Chevron attorney Theodore Boutrous told the court in San Francisco that the scientific consensus on greenhouse gas emissions was not fully formed until the past decade.

"The notion that we know today of a dynamic changing climate is relatively new in human understanding," he said.

San Francisco and Oakland are suing the five oil giants — Chevron, Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips, Royal Dutch Shell and British Petroleum — seeking to set up an abatement fund that would force the oil companies to help the cities pay for flood damage and preventative measures they say are the result of global warming.

To clear the air city by city - might this be possible?

Despite Chevron's admission, the oil giants asked the court to dismiss the case, in part because Congress has given regulatory agencies authority over the production and discharge of greenhouse gas emissions.

US District Judge William Alsup said he wants to strip away the politics and "stick to the science" behind the issue. He called on both sides to present "the best science now available on global warming."

"This is a serious proposition to try to educate the judge," Alsup said.

Legal experts said they have never seen a judge holding a tutorial on climate change, and they are eager to see how the oil companies explain global warming.

Chevron's Boutrous said the oil giant backs a 2013 report by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which concluded it was "extremely likely" that humans are contributing to global warming.

The Artic sea ice thins as polar bears shed pounds. But Boutrous insisted that earlier reports by the IPCC were less certain. When Alsup asked Boutrous if the other four oil companies agreed with his presentation, Boutrous said he was only speaking for Chevron. The attorneys for the other four oil firms generally acknowledge the reality of man-made global warming, but none of them answered questions during last week's court hearing.

What does that tell us? To say it neutral but very clear: people are keep on passing the buck to others. They keep on leaving others to hold the baby, while our planet keeps on dying.

The five oil companies argued in court papers filed last Tuesday that they should not be held liable for the effects of global warming, which is caused by "billions" of parties and "complex environmental phenomena occurring worldwide over many decades."  Trying to make some excuses? Or is it the naked truth?

Despite the wide scientific consensus, US President Donald Trump has turned US climate policy on its head since taking office 14 months ago. Trump, a Republican, has pushed to increase fossil fuel production and announced that he was withdrawing the United States from the 2015 Paris climate accord, which aims to reduce emissions.

And, sad to say, but Trump's growing cabinet is a cabinet of climate deniers. US President Donald Trump's decision to appoint hard-line climate denier Mike Pompeo as secretary of state is a death knell for US climate leadership. Can anyone fill the vacuum? 

Climate Change Vulnerability: Philippines ranks 3rd

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Helen Flores (The Philippine Star) - March 21, 2018 - 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is ranked third among the four countries in the world most vulnerable to climate change, a recent survey by HSBC showed.

India topped the list, followed by Pakistan. Bangladesh came in fourth. 

The study noted that in India, climate change could cut agricultural incomes, particularly in unirrigated areas that would be hit hardest by rising temperatures and declines in rainfall.

Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines are susceptible to extreme weather events, such as storms and flooding.

Pakistan was ranked by HSBC among nations least equipped to respond to climate risks.

The five countries least vulnerable to climate change risk are Finland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia and New Zealand.

In its last ranking in 2016, HSBC only assessed G20 countries for vulnerability to climate risk.

The Climate Change Commission recently announced the release of about P200 million in grants to four local government units in the country to strengthen their resiliency to the negative impact of climate change. 

The People’s Survival Fund (PSF) Board entered into partnerships with the local governments of Del Carmen, Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte; Lanuza, Surigao del Sur; Gerona, Tarlac; and San Francisco, Camotes Island, Cebu. 

Chaired by the Department of Finance, the PSF was established in 2012 through Republic Act No. 10174 to support the climate adaptation action plans of local governments.

In March last year, President Duterte signed the landmark Paris Agreement on Climate Change that calls for the reduction of carbon emissions, which have been linked to the occurrence of natural disasters and extreme weather conditions.

In 2015, the Philippine government submitted to the United Nations the country’s commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

The country committed to reduce its carbon emissions by 70 percent by 2030. 

The carbon dioxide reductions will come from the sectors of energy, transport, waste, forestry and industry.

In this year’s rankings, HSBC assessed 67 developed, emerging and frontier markets on vulnerability to the physical impacts of climate change, sensitivity to extreme weather events, exposure to energy transition risks and ability to respond to climate change.

The 67 nations represent almost a third of the world’s nation states, 80 percent of the global population and 94 percent of global gross domestic product.

HSBC averaged the scores in each area for the countries in order to reach the overall ranking. Some countries were highly vulnerable in some areas but less so in others.

South and Southeast Asian countries accounted for half of the 10 most vulnerable countries. Oman, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Mexico, Kenya and South Africa are also in this group.

Read more at https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/03/21/1798866/climate-change-vulnerability-philippines-ranks-3rd#sbSZZVrIkkiIM0S2.99