Philippines

The book, "Agam: Filipino Narratives on Uncertainty and Climate Change," received the Gintong Aklat (Golden Book) award for English Literature and Design. "Agam is a brilliantly produced book that is extremely relevant for our times," declared Teresa Maria Custodio, chair of the board of judges for 2016 Gintong Aklat Awards. "Agam" is also internationally acclaimed for its original narratives on climate impacts in the Philippines…

At the Forum Food Security Forum: Safe, Nutritious, and Affordable Food for All in Manila, Mahfuz Ahmed, technical advisor for rural development and food security with the Asian Development Bank pinpointed large-scale migration as one of the top threats to food security. Rural–urban migration reduces the number of people working in agriculture. Another top threat is extreme weather, a corollary of climate change, which further…

The following link will take you to INQUIRER.net: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/809740/pinol-vows-rice-self-sufficiency-to-aid-farmers-vs-climate-change Source: Inquirer.net | 25 August 2016

Logo photo courtesy of scrapetv.com Greenpeace Philippines’ Climate and Energy Campaigner Reuben Muni also challenged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to take the initiative further by putting on hold all other pending coal-fired power applications until the review is completed and a more rigorous permitting system is in place. “Coal is the single greatest threat to the global climate. Given the economic…

Senator Loren Legarda, chairperson of the Senate committee on Climate Change, said climate change is now one of the most significant factors affecting the sustainable program for World Heritage Sites, including the Ifugao Rice Terraces. “I have constantly warned about the effects of climate change on food, water, settlement, jobs, livelihood, human welfare, safety and security, poverty reduction, and economic growth. Now, we have another…

The CVF held a weeklong event in the Philippines to mark the end of the Philippine CVF presidency and the official handover of CVF presidency to Ethiopia, the first African nation to chair the 43-member global cooperation body. “The CVF has elevated the voice of the vulnerable under the Philippine presidency and we are certain the Ethiopian chair will lift climate action to an even…

“The 2015 Paris Agreement has been hailed by many as a landmark agreement, but its aspirations will not happen on its own,” Legarda said on Monday during a high-level meeting of the Climate Vulnerable Fourm (CVF) — which is composed of 43 countries. The Agreement aims to limit global temperature rise to "well below" 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures and pursue efforts to keep…

SFR, according to Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM), is a water impounding structure with a maximum height of embankment of 4 meter and average pond area of 1,500 square meters. Farmers with areas no more than 2 ha of rainfed farms find the tool convenient to use. “Almost every farm here has SFR since we have limited water resources and irrigation can’t reach…

In a potential landmark legal case, the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHR), a constitutional body with the power to investigate human rights violations, has sent 47 “carbon majors” including Shell, BP, Chevron, BHP Billiton and Anglo American, a 60-page document accusing them of breaching people’s fundamental rights to “life, food, water, sanitation, adequate housing, and to self determination.” The move is the…

In a statement, the ADB said it will provide credit-enhancement to the Philippine firm AP Renewables, Inc. (APRI), a subsidiary of AboitizPower Corporation (AboitizPower), for the Tiwi-MakBan geothermal energy facilities. The P10.7 billion ($225 million equivalent) local currency bond comes in addition to a direct ADB loan of P1.8 billion ($37.7 million equivalent). ADB’s credit enhancement is in the form of a guarantee of…

"Farmers and rural communities are among the poorest sectors in Philippine society. Government programs and support services from past and present administrations have been highly inadequate. With the El Niño phenomenon and increasing climate change disasters, these communities are rendered even more vulnerable," said Dr. Rene Ofroneo, a spokesperson of the alliance Buhay na may Dignidad para sa Lahat (DIGNIDAD), and former Dean of the…

Now the diplomat-turned-activist has planted his feet back on home turf, taking the leadership of Greenpeace Southeast Asia. Top of his agenda is indicting fossil fuel majors, he tells Climate Home, as the Philippines launches an unprecedented inquiry into climate change and human rights. “The Paris agreement in my view and in the view of Greenpeace has not really responded to the call for…

“More than half of the agency’s 2016 budget is allotted for programs that aim to further build the resilience of vulnerable communities and natural ecosystems against the devastating impact of climate change,” DENR Secretary Ramon Paje said. The National Greening Program (NGP) gets the lion share of the DENR’s climate change expenditures at P8 billion. NGP is a massive forest rehabilitation program under Executive…

“We are set to reach the one degree Celsius marker.” This was the pronouncement of Professor Stephen Belcher of the United Kingdom’s Met Office in Nov. 2015. From Jan. to Sept. 2015, the global mean temperature hit 1.02°C. Scientists could argue over the accuracy of such data. True or not, we can no longer deny the existence of climate change, which has become the…

The PCCI made its call following the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference which underscored the need for countries around the world to create their own plans on how they intend to cut greenhouse gas emissions caused by climate change. Jesus Reyes, PCCI vice chairman and vice president-Corporate Affairs of Nestle Philippines Inc., said the 10 warmest years on record happened over the last decade…

When the typhoon left, it damaged about 166,552 houses, displacing nearly 743,000 people and killing at least 34, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported. Thousands returned to their communities only to see destroyed roads, bridges, schools, and livelihoods. The estimated cost of damage to infrastructure and agriculture, according to the government, reached more than P1.8 billion as of Saturday, December…

“This deal offers a frayed life-line to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people,” Oxfam Executive Director Helen Szoke said in a statement released on Saturday (December 12). The deal was a success, in the sense leaders agreed to restrict average global warming to 2°C above pre-industrial levels — and if possible, limit it further to 1.5°C. Some scientists said that mega droughts, super…

“The Philippines welcomes the Paris agreement as it responds to President Aquino’s call at the start of COP21 (21st Conference of Parties) for all people to act and come to an agreement that allows all voices to be heard and take into consideration the particular situations of all the nations that have taken this historic step to end decades of deadlock and take decisive…

“Indeed, for the Philippines, climate change means sorrowful catalogues of casualty and fatality; the countless voices of the homeless and the grieving, their very tears and screams carried to us by the winds and waves that blew their homes away,” Climate Change Commission Secretary Emmanuel de Guzman told delegates from the 196 countries that adopted the historic deal in the 21st Conference of Parties…

This is the question raised by Naderev “Yeb” Saño, former lead climate change negotiator of the Philippines, coming on the heels of the recently concluded UN climate conference in Paris. On Saturday, December 12, negotiators from all of the world agreed to adopt a global climate pact that aims to keep the world temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius, and help curb the…