{"id":21704,"date":"2024-04-04T01:24:26","date_gmt":"2024-04-04T01:24:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/energytracker.asia\/?p=21704"},"modified":"2024-06-07T03:56:30","modified_gmt":"2024-06-07T03:56:30","slug":"environmental-issues-in-the-philippines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/energytracker.asia\/environmental-issues-in-the-philippines\/","title":{"rendered":"Environmental Issues in the Philippines and New LNG Projects"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The list of environmental issues in the Philippines<\/strong> is excessively long. Environment and natural resources are at risk due to climate change<\/a>. Not only is the country doing not enough to address them, but its fossil fuel obsession has exacerbated the potential impacts. Without sustainable development and immediate action to limit LNG project development in coastal areas, the country is single-handedly risking its climate, heritage, marine biodiversity and community well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Excessive Climate Risk and Environmental Issues Looming over the Philippines<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The common denominator between the environmental issues in the Philippines<\/em> is that they are all human-made. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plastic Pollution<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The country is plagued by plastic pollution driven by multinational companies\u2019 continuous use of single-use plastics<\/a>. Furthermore, big brands use the territory of the Philippines to dump and burn plastic waste<\/a> continuously. That increases greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deforestation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Logging and deforestation are other environmental challenges that the Philippines has long been dealing with. In fact, it is among the countries that have seen the biggest amount of deforestation in the past 40 years<\/a>. Sustainable forest management is not a priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While plastic waste and deforestation are serious problems, there are signs that they will be addressed soon under the new leadership of the Philippine government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this isn’t the case when it comes to the exponentially growing climate risk facing the country.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Global Climate Risk Map Ranking from 2000 to 2019, Source: Germanwatch<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

According to different studies, the Philippines is bouncing between the first<\/a> and the fourth<\/a> position among the most vulnerable countries to climate change. The nation is threatened by various risks<\/a>, including rising sea levels, more intense tropical cyclones, increased rainfall, droughts, heatwaves and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between 2000 and 2019, the Philippines experienced a total of 317 weather-related events<\/a>, the highest result globally. Greenpeace notes<\/a> that what the country is experiencing will only worsen as global temperatures continue to rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rising Temperatures Threaten the Health, Livelihoods and Quality of Life of Filipinos<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Philippines is at risk<\/a> of unprecedented compound extreme events. These are situations where multiple disasters of different or similar types coincide or occur one after another, becoming more probable and severe.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, heatwaves during a drought increase the risk of forest fires, agricultural damage and biodiversity losses. Currently, ecosystems on approximately 1 million hectares of grasslands<\/a> in the Philippines are highly vulnerable to global warming. Farming is also at risk<\/a>. Studies suggest that the grain yield decreased by at least 10% for each 1\u00b0C increase<\/a> in the dry season’s minimum temperature. For example, the El Nino-associated drought between 2015 and 2016 affected over 413,000 Filipino farmers<\/a> and even sparked violent protests<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Similar to the heatwaves in other countries<\/a>, rising temperatures will also impact the working hours<\/a> and productivity in the Philippines. Besides, such events also risk contributing to a boom in diseases<\/a>, including dengue, typhoid, malaria and cholera \u2013 a situation that the Philippines has experienced in the past.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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