Time to Act: Climate Change Adaptation in the Philippines

Memo #243

By Sarah Thomas – sarah.thomas [at] alumni.ubc.ca

For a country like the Philippines, which is feeling the effects of climate change and has seen significant changes in weather patterns over the last few years, the need for adaptation is poignant. With floods now an annual occurrence, and drought also a growing concern since rainfall is concentrated in certain parts of the year, farmers in the rural municipalities of Bulacan Province in Central Luzon, Philippines see their livelihoods under threat. Historically, the climate in Bulacan supported three annual plantings but with the dramatic fluctuation in both temperature and quantity of heavy rainfall, one to two harvests are the new norm. This dramatic decrease is in large part a result of erratic typhoons sweeping through and destroying crops just before the harvest. Additionally, extreme flooding soaks the fields and leaves standing water that wreaks havoc on the crops.

The capacity of communities to adapt to climate change is going to be tested in the coming years as weather patterns change and potable water becomes scarcer even as population increases. The Japan International Cooperation Agency, among others, has forecast that the Philippines will experience severe water shortages over the next ten years. Further, there are already concerns over food security and people’s ability to access food due to decreased crop yields. More rice is being imported now than ever before while significant pressure is being put on fields due to land conversion and fertilizer use in addition to variable weather events associated with climate change.

In response to these new realities, in 2009 the government of the Philippines enacted a comprehensive Climate Change Act that created a climate change commission and mandated that each municipality create a Local Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP) to set directions for climate change adaptation. Then, in 2011, the national government published its National Climate Change Action Plan, which laid out priority actions for the country in such areas as water sufficiency, food security, ecosystem and environmental sustainability, and climate-smart industry. These designated target areas inform local plans, some of which have already been developed and with others in the development phase. Capacity building will then be required to ensure the plans are implemented and lead to the creation of vibrant, climate-smart communities that are resilient to evolving weather patterns and a changing climate.

About the Author:

Sarah Thomas is pursuing a Master’s of Science in Planning in the School of Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia and is an Institute of Asian Research Fellow for 2013. Her master’s project focuses on the environmental compliance of small and medium enterprises in the Bustos, Bulacan, Philippines.