“Climate change has brought about suffering for nations, communities and peoples. It is that kind of suffering that, in the words of Benedict XVI’s ‘Deus Caritas Est,’ ‘cries out for consolation and help.’” – From the statement, “Stewards, Not Owners,” of the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines
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The scene seemed to come straight from a Hollywood movie, The Impossible, except that it didn’t happen in Thailand but in the Philippines, particularly Compostela Valley (now called Davao de Oro). It wasn’t from a tsunami but from super typhoon Pablo (international name: Bopha), which hit the province in 2012.
As approaching water held them captive, according to a report, Rogelio Saging hugged tightly his three young children with his eldest son Rudyard close behind. His wife, Violeta, was also trailing them. But the current of the water was so intense; it was loaded with silt, gravel, boulders and clumps of fallen trees that they thought they would never come out alive.
Then, the unthinkable happened. The parents saw how a fallen coconut tree smacked the head of their third-year high school son Rudyard and carried him away from their grasp. It happened so fast. They could not do anything as they, too, were swept away by the strong current of flood.
Around two in the afternoon, it was a joyful and tearful reunion as the parents had found all four children all well – except for Rudyard. Rescuers had found him alright, but he was in critical condition. The father had only a few precious moments to talk with his dying son before his torn and marred body finally succumbed.
This real-life story is just a preview of what will happen in the future as more intense typhoons will hit the country. Filipino scientists claim typhoons can hit the Philippines anytime of the year, with the months of June to September being most active. August is the most active individual month with May as the least active.
Normally, the Philippines experiences typhoons of up to 20 a year. Lately, however, stronger typhoons have become more frequent. “The Philippines has long been particularly vulnerable to extreme weather,” reports the Climate Reality Project. “But in recent years, the nation has suffered from even more violent storms… And over the past decade, these tropical storms have struck the nation more often and more severely, scientists believe, because of climate change.”
Since 1880, respected scientists say the worldwide average temperature has increased about 0.9⁰F. This, however, is within the normal fluctuations range, meaning it could be a short-term change that will return to normal in the near future.
Sadly, instead of returning to normal, the temperature is getting warmer each year. In fact, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations-sponsored body made up of more than 1,500 leading scientists from all over the globe, projected an increase of the planet’s average surface temperature to be between 2.5⁰F and 10.4⁰F between 1990 and 2100.
The rise of the world’s temperature is the result of the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. GHGs include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
Scientists call this phenomenon the “greenhouse effect.” In an article published in Reader’s Digest, Robert James Bidinotto explained it in these words: “When sunlight warms the earth, certain gases in the lower atmosphere, acting like a glass in a greenhouse, trap some of the heat as it radiates back into space. These greenhouse gases warm our planet, making life possible.
“If they were more abundant, greenhouse gases might trap too much heat,” Bidinotto continued. “But if greenhouse gases were less plentiful or entirely absent, temperatures on Earth would average below freezing.”
Because concentrations of GHGs have been steadily increasing in recent years, the world’s average temperature has completely changed.
“While human activities during the past century have damaged a long list of nature systems, most of these problems are local or regional in scope and can be reversed in years or decades if sufficient effort is exerted,” wrote Christopher Flavin in his book, Slowing Global Warming: A Worldwide Strategy.
“Climate change is very simple,” noted Dr. Robert Watson, who used to head the IPCC. “We are increasing emissions of greenhouse gases and thus their concentrations in the atmosphere are going up. As these concentrations increase, the temperature of the earth rises.”
A few years back, the government-initiated Climate Change Commission (CCC) listed the Philippines as among the top ten countries most vulnerable to the impacts of this global phenomenon. “Climate change is more disastrous to the agricultural industry of the Philippines and its neighboring Asian countries than in other parts of the world,” argues Dr. David Street, of the US Argonne National Laboratory.
A World Bank report, Getting a Grip on Climate Change in the Philippines, has issued the same prediction. “Climate-related impacts are expected to reduce agricultural productivity in the Philippines,” the report said.
Rice, for instance, will be greatly affected by climate change. “Increasing carbon dioxide leads to increased photosynthesis and, potentially, more rice biomass. But concurrent increases in global temperature could also potentially limit rice harvests by increasing spikelet sterility,” the Laguna-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) said in a statement.
A warmer climate causes the sea level to rise. The Philippines, whose coastline stretches 18,000 kilometers, is very vulnerable to sea level rise. In fact, the country ranks fourth in the Global Climate Risk Index as 15 provinces are susceptible to this climate change consequence.
As the atmosphere changes, typhoons will intensify and become stronger. “When the oceans warm, the air above the oceans also warms,” wrote John Converset in a World Mission feature. “More water evaporates, creating greater humidity. Greater warmth and humidity over the oceans make storms more powerful. The winds are stronger and the amount of water that falls as precipitation can be astounding.”
This is bad news for people living near the coastal areas. “About 14% of the country’s total population and 42% of its total coastal population will be affected by intensifying storm surges resulting from more intense typhoons,” the World Bank report pointed out.
Climate change is most likely to spread diseases, causing “significant loss of lives,” the IPCC said. In some areas, global warming is certainly to “cause several thousand extra heat-related deaths annually” as hotter and longer heat waves raise death rates from heart and lung diseases.
Higher temperature also affects migration and spawning patterns of various species. As temperatures warm, many plants, fish, insects and bacteria may move into new areas, eradicating indigenous species.
“It is hard to know how severe these effects will be, but when combined with other stresses, including land clearing and local pollution, climate change could have catastrophic consequences for more ecosystems,” the Washington, D.C.-based Worldwatch Institute claims.
Water resources are especially vulnerable to climate change. “In a warmer world, we will need more water – to drink and irrigate crops,” reminds the Panos Institute based in London. Already, the Philippines is experiencing a water crisis in some regions.
“We are in trouble. We are in deep trouble with climate change,” said United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres during the opening of the 24th annual UN Climate Conference held in Poland some years back.
“It is hard to overstate the urgency of our situation,” Guterres pointed out. “Even as we witness devastating climate impacts causing havoc across the world, we are still not doing enough, nor moving fast enough, to prevent irreversible and catastrophic climate disruption.”
Something must be done soon. Renee Juliene Karunungan, in an article published by Rappler, urged: “We also cannot wait for the rest of the world to act before we start acting ourselves. Yes, developed countries will need to commit more, and yes, the Philippines only emits a small amount of carbon in the atmosphere. But we are a country vulnerable to climate change impacts that have already claimed thousands upon thousands of lives and livelihoods.
Karunungan, the program manager for advocacy Dakila, a group of artists working for social transformation, further wrote: “Climate change is here, happening right now. It is our moral imperative to do our share of climate action. We cannot continue investing in dirty energy. We cannot say climate change does not have to be discussed. We need to discuss it and we need to discuss what we plan to do with it.”
In a bid to slow global warming, scientists have suggested curtailing the use of fossil fuels to reduce carbon dioxide emission. Global warming can also be slowed down, they claim, by curbing the rate of deforestation and increasing carbon sinks through the help of oceans which extract carbon dioxide from the air and convert it into carbonates.
A fact sheet circulated by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said that deforestation is “responsible for 25% of all carbon emissions entering the atmosphere” by burning and cutting of millions of hectares of trees each year.
An article which came out in Nature believes reforestation is one of the best ways to battle global warming. “When it comes to fighting global warming, trees have emerged as one of the most popular weapons,” wrote Gabriel Popkin. “With nations making little progress controlling their carbon emissions, many governments and advocates have advanced plans to plant vast numbers of trees to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in an attempt to slow climate change.”
