Philippines Moving Toward Climate Change Catastrophe
A report released by Greenpeace Southeast Asia scared me so much, I had a hard time reading it. According to the environmental watchdog, the Philippines is “on its way to a major climate change catastrophe–… unless the government takes urgent and ambitious action to avert a disaster that will put millions of Filipinos at risk”.
A briefing paper titled “The Philippines: A Climate Hotspot” (PDF file) details the weather-related tragedies that have befallen the country in recent decades. These include the flashflood in Ormoc in 1991, and the landslides in Cherry Hill (1999), Baguio/La Trinidad (2001), Guinsaugon (2006) and Legazpi (2006). The report also highlights the projected effects of extreme weather on the archipelago and its inhabitants. I quote:
An indicative one-meter rise in sea level for example is projected to affect 64 out of 81 provinces, covering at least 703 out of 1,610 municipalities and inundating almost 700 million square meters of land. A one meter rise in global sea level can occur sooner with the melting of the Greenland and West Antarctica ice sheets if global carbon dioxide emissions are not immediately curbed. In the worst case scenario involving the complete melting of the said ice sheets, global sea level is projected to rise from between seven to twelve meters.
The map below shows the provinces (marked with a red dot) that are at risk from a 1-meter rise in sea level.
It’s scary to even imagine what will happen to the country should sea levels rise beyond 1 meter. We joke about our 7,100 islands becoming less 100 islands or so during high tide. But climate change is no joke. We have witnessed its effects in the unprecedented strength and number of super-typhoons in recent years. I hope that the current government takes note, especially of Greenpeace’s suggestions on coping with and possibly averting catastrophe.
via Greenpeace Southeast Asia (Hat tip: The Great Red Comet); Images: Reuters/AP; and Greenpeace.
Tags: Greenpeace, climate change, Philippine climate hotspot, Philippine weather
3 Comments
Stop illegal logging!
Along with all the dirt and grime on the Pasig River, the water rising from the ocean will also wash away the dirt in Malacanang and hopefully this will solve some of the ills in the Philippine govt. leading to a change in a more caring and environmentally concious leadership.
Laguna de Bay is so polluted and the tributaries along is also clogged with dirt. i have attended a green peace seminar four years ago in the Phils. and it was so bad how they have shown and explained what is happening in the Phils. there is not much trees to hold the water. La Mesa dam water is already dried up and so is the water reservoir in San Juan and also in Quezon city. Hinulugan Taktak in Antipolo dried up and there is no more falls to look at. it is a canal with plenty of dirt and garbag coming from the houses on top of the ridge. the smell and the stench is terrible. the flood control is not working.what else is new. according to National Geographic Magazine, the Phils. is only 20 percent forrested. it was said that the no. 1 polluter in Pinas are the people who dont have better understanding and not properly educated on the importance of preserving the forest and not polluting the water. the fields are over fertilized, making the soil cracked and salt to come out from the ground. bad sign. i was in Pinas last feb. and march and along the seafront at Roxas Blvd. there were lots of plastic bottles and plastic bags and dirt that is floating along the shoreline that came from the tributaries from the inner city.oh well!!!!
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