Water pollution

Several factors of climate change are impacting the availability of water in the Philippines. The
increasing number of intense droughts are reducing water levels and river flows and thus
creating a shortage in water. The floods and landslides caused by extreme rainfall degrade
watershed health and water quality by increasing runoff and erosion that increases
sedimentation in reservoirs. Many freshwater coastal aquifers have seen saltwater intrusion
which reduces the amount of freshwater available for use. About 25% of coastal municipalities
in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao are affected by this and the issue is expected to get worse
with sea level rise.

Deforestation

Over the course of the 20th century the forest cover of the Philippines dropped from 70 percent
down to 20 percent. In total, 46 species are endangered, and 4 were already eradicated
completely. 3.2 percent of total rainforest has been left. Based on an analysis of land use
pattern maps and a road map an estimated 9.8 million ha of forests were lost in the Philippines
from 1934 to 1988. Illegal logging occurs in the Philippines and intensify flood damage in some
areas.

According to scholar Jessica Mathews, short-sighted policies by the Filipino government have
contributed to the high rate of deforestation:

The government regularly granted logging concessions of less than ten years. Since it takes
30–35 years for a second-growth forest to mature, loggers had no incentive to replant.
Compounding the error, flat royalties encouraged the loggers to remove only the most valuable
species. A horrendous 40 percent of the harvestable lumber never left the forests but, having
been damaged in the logging, rotted or was burned in place. The unsurprising result of these
and related policies is that out of 17 million hectares of closed forests that flourished early in the
century only 1.2 million remain today.

Air pollution

Due to industrial waste and automobiles, Manila suffers from air pollution, affecting 98% of the
population. Annually, the air pollution causes more than 4,000 deaths. Ermita is Manila's most
air polluted district due to open dump sites and industrial waste. According to a report in 2003,
The Pasig River is one of the most polluted rivers in the world with 150 tons of domestic waste
and 75 tons of industrial waste dumped daily.
Climate change

Two of the most pressing environmental issues impacting the Philippines is climate change. As
an island country located in the Southeast Asia Pacific region, the Philippines is extremely
vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Some of these impacts include increased
frequency and severity of natural disasters, sea level rise, extreme rainfall, global warming,
resource shortages, and environmental degradation. All of these impacts together have greatly
affected the Philippines’ agriculture, sex, water, infrastructure, human health, and coastal
ecosystems and they are projected to continue having devastating damages to the economy
and society of the Philippines.

Climate history

Due to its geographical location, climate, and topography, the Philippines is ranked third on the
World Risk Index for highest disaster risk and exposure to natural disasters. 16 of its provinces,
including Manila, Benguet, and Batanes, are included in the top 50 most vulnerable places in
Southeast Asia, with Manila being ranked 7th. Four cities in the Philippines, Manila, San Jose,
Roxas, and Cotaboato, are included in the top 10 cities most vulnerable to sea level rise in the
East Asia and Pacific region. The country is consistently at risk from severe natural hazards
including typhoons, floods, landslides, and drought. It is located within a region that experiences
the highest rate of typhoons in the world, averaging 20 typhoons annually, with about 7-9 that
actually make landfall. In 2009, the Philippines had the third highest number of casualties from
natural disasters with the second most victims.

Super typhoon Haiyan

also known locally as “Yolanda”, made landfall in the Philippines in the Guiuan municipality.The
category 5 typhoon continued to travel west, making landfall in several municipalities, and
ultimately devastated enormous stretches of the Philippines islands of Samar, Leyte, Cebu, and
the Visaya archipelago.Tied for being the strongest landfalling tropical typhoon on record,
Typhoon Haiyan had wind speeds of over 300 km/h (almost 190 mph) which triggered major
storm surges that wreaked havoc on many places in the country. Leaving over 6,300 dead,
28,688 injured, and 1062 missing, Typhoon Haiyan is the deadliest typhoon on record in the
Philippines. More than 16 million people were affected by the storm, suffering from the storm
surge, flash floods, landslides, and extreme winds and rainfall that took lives, destroyed homes,
and devastated many.Typhoon Haiyan crucially damaged over 1.1 million houses across the
country and displaced over 4.1 million people. According to the NDRRMC, the storm cost the
Philippines about 3.64 billion US dollars.
Future projections

Future projections for the current trajectory of climate change predict that global warming is
likely to exceed 3 degrees Celsius, potentially 4degrees, by 2060. Specifically in the Philippines,
average temperatures are “virtually certain” to see an increase of 1.8 to 2.2 degrees Celsius.

Name:Diana rose pestaÑas

Section code: A194 ECON 121 A

Isntructor: Peter Anthony P. Estioko

The Philippines' evident risk to natural disasters is due to its location. Being a country that lies in
the Pacific Ring of Fire, it is prone to earthquake and volcanic eruptions. In addition, the country
is surrounded by large bodies of water and facing the Pacific Ocean where 60% of the world's
typhoons are made. One of the most devastating typhoons that hit the Philippines in 2013 was
Typhoon Haiyan, or "Yolanda", that killed over 10,000 people and destroyed over a trillion pesos
worth of properties and damage to various sectors. Other environmental problems that the
country is facing include pollution, illegal mining and logging, deforestation, dynamite fishing,
landslides, coastal erosion, wildlife extinction, global warming and climate change.

PROBLEM AND ISSUES

1. Water pollution
2. Deforestation
3. Air pollution
4. Climate change
5. Impacts of global warming
6. Climate history
7. Super typhoon Haiyan
8. Future projections
9. Energy
10. Water
11. Infrastructure
12. Risk to "double exposure"
13. Human health
14. Coastal ecosystems and fisheries
Energy

Climate change could simultaneously reduce the Philippines’ supply of energy and increase its
demand for energy. The increased chance of extreme weather events would reduce
hydropower production, which accounts for 20% of the country's energy supply, as well as
cause widespread damage to energy infrastructure and services.[19] There will be more power
outages on average in addition to an increased demand for power, specifically cooling.

Water

Although water resources have become scarce in some regions and seasons, the Philippines as
a whole has more than enough surface and groundwater. However, neglecting to have a
coherent environmental policy has led to the contamination of 58% of the groundwater in the
Philippines. The main source of pollution is untreated domestic and industrial waste water .Only
one third of Philippine river systems are considered suitable for public water supply.

It is estimated that in 2025, water availability will be marginal in most major cities and in 8 of the
19 major river basins. Besides severe health concerns, water pollution also leads to problems in
the fishing and tourism industries. The national government recognized the problem and since
2004 has sought to introduce sustainable water resources development management (see
below).

Only 5% of the total population is connected to a sewer network. The vast majority uses flush
toilets connected to septic tanks. Since sludge treatment and disposal facilities are rare, most
effluents are discharged without treatment. According to the Asian Development Bank, the
Pasig River is one of the world's most polluted rivers. In March 2008, Manila Water announced
that a wastewater treatment plant will be constructed in Taguig. The first Philippine constructed
wetland serving about 700 households was completed in 2006 in a peri-urban area of Bayawan
City which has been used to resettle families that lived along the coast in informal settlements
and had no access to safe water supply and sanitation facilities.

Infrastructure

Rising sea levels, heavy rainfall and flooding, and strong typhoons pose an enormous risk to the
Philippines’ infrastructure. 45% of Philippines’ urban population lives in informal settlements with
already weak infrastructure and are extremely vulnerable to flooding and typhoons. A giant
storm would wreak havoc on these informal settlements and cause the deaths and
displacement of millions of people who inhabit 25 different coastline cities.[19] These natural
disasters will also cause millions of dollars in damages to urban infrastructure like bridges and
roads. In 2009, Tropical Storm Ketsana cost the Philippines $33 million to repair damaged roads
and bridges.

Risk to "double exposure"

Large cities in the Philippines such as Manila, Quezon City, Cebu, and Davao City see an
increased risk from both climate change and globalization. For example, in addition to being one
of the world's most vulnerable cities to climate change due to geographical location, Manila has
also been shaped by globalization and abides by many tenants of neoliberal urbanism, including
"a strong focus on private sector led development, attracting global capital, market oriented
policies and decentralization". These cities experience challenges to their own climate resilience
due to this double exposure to climate change and globalization, where many cities are most at
risk to climate events in addition to having a large percentage of the population live in informal
settlements with weak infrastructure. Four million people, or about a third of Manila's population,
lives in informal settlements which puts them at higher risk and danger from tropical storms and
flooding, and they often have fewer resources available to recover from damages caused by
environmental hazards. Several factors and governments in the history of the Philippines has
contributed to a large focus on urban development and its connection to "globalized systems of
material production and consumption. Spanish colonial rule from the 1500s to 1898, America's
annexation from 1898 to 1946, Japanese occupation and bombing during World War ll,
Ferdinand Marcos' authoritarian regime from 1965 till 1986, and more have all contributed to an
urban development focused on globalization, market oriented development, privatization, and
decentralization.

Human health

Climate change, heavy rains, and increased temperatures are linked with the increased
transmission of vector and waterborne diseases like malaria, dengue, and diarrhea (who). The
heavy rains and increased temperatures lead to increased humidity which increases the chance
of mosquito breeding and survival. Increased natural disasters not only directly contribute to the
loss of human life, but also indirectly through food insecurity and the destruction of health
services.

Coastal ecosystems and fisheries

Climate change and global warming and the rising amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere has
contributed to ocean warming and ocean acidification. The ocean has acted as a carbon sink for
earth for millennia and is currently slowing the rate of global warming through the sequestration
of carbon. This comes at a cost however as the oceans are becoming more and more acidic as
they sequester more carbon dioxide. Ocean acidification has dire consequences as it causes
coral bleaching and ultimately leads to the collapse of coral reefs (usaid). Rising sea levels
cause increased salinity that can have damaging impacts on the country's extensive system of
mangroves. Both coral reefs and mangroves help to reduce coastal erosion and supports water
quality.This erosion from the loss of coral reefs and mangroves increase the chance of coastal
flooding and the loss of land. Coral reefs and mangroves also act as important feeding and
spawning areas for many fish species that many fisher folk depend on for survival. Over 60% of
the coastal population depends on marine resources like coral reefs or mangroves for their
contributions to fisheries, tourism, and storm protection.

What are the solutions to the problems in the Philippine

1. Stop Color Coding. It resulted to people having two cars with different plate numbers instead
of one to get mobilizer all of the time , which need more spaces on roads and parkings.

2. Operate the sea ports in Batangas, Subic, and Bataan.

3. Stop building skyways, it entices people to use cars. Instead, improve Mass Transportation
System. More trains.

4. Metro Manila is too congested. It's high time to consider building new cities designed for
future requirement.

Prioritize better public transportation. Encourage everyone to ride public transport rather than
bring individual vehicles