UN experts warn of floods in Luzon, Visayas, drought in Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines - United Nations climate change experts have warned the Department of Agriculture of more rains, floods and landslides in Luzon and Visayas, and drought in Mindanao as a result of climate change.

In line with this, the UN is urging the DA to seriously take steps to mitigate the effects of climate change on the country’s agricultural sector.

During a recent briefing, UN consultant Lourdes V. Tibig informed top DA officials that a warmer climate is going to pour more rains in provinces that experience the southeast monsoon season from June to October, which means more floods and landslides in wide swaths of land Luzon and the Visayas.

The dry season in affected provinces will get longer, Tibig warned.

The same phenomenon is expected to spawn more droughts in Mindanao.

The “unequivocal” climate change, the retired PAGASA official said, has been seen to hit the agriculture and fishery sector hard with bad effects on productivity, the spread of old and new plant and animal diseases.

“Without adequate preparations, countries like the Philippines, may see its farm and fishery productivity drastically go down,” the climate experts warned.

The UN project aims to help frontline agencies of government plan their responses and mitigation programs while pilot local governments are seen to represent the vulnerabilities of different communities from those along the typhoon belt to the highlands and come out with their own climate change adaptation programs.

Following a recent briefing by the UN to help the Philippines strengthen its institutional capacity to adapt to climate change, the DA has decided to include mitigating measures to address climate change in its  action plans.

Agriculture Undersecretary for Operations Jesus Emmanuel Paras has divided DA groups into three climate change adaptation teams: one team involved in crops, another on fisheries, and a third on research and development which is one of the most lacking aspects of climate change mitigating actions pointed out by the UN team.

The three teams were instructed to come out with their climate change adaptation plans for their sectors before the weekend. 

The DA was targeted by the UN project as one of the chief implementors of programs to mitigate the ill effects of the changing climate patterns affecting the country.