MANILA, Philippines — Effective adaptive measures and policies must be implemented across the Philippines to prevent death and destruction in the future, an environmental group said a week after Typhoon Odette (Rai) devastated parts of the country.
In a statement, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines called for a clear and comprehensive plan of action by the government to adapt to climate change.
“We emphasize the need to extricate our country from an endless cycle of relief efforts which are short-term measures against a climate that is changing in the long term. Our call is for adaptive measures to be urgently implemented so concrete and permanent solutions can protect Filipinos moving forward,” WWF-Philippines executive director Katherine Custodio said.
According to the organization, the plan of action should include building climate-resilient houses, evacuation centers, schools, bridges and power lines, prioritizing nature-based solutions such as reforestation, and comprehensive urban and environmental planning.
WWF-Philippines also called on the government to increase the funds allocated for climate adaptation actions.
“Though the national government has stated that climate adaptation is a national priority, the funding for adaptation has to reflect this priority,” it said, noting that the climate budget is only 6.26% of the total national budget.
Custodio stressed that preparing ahead of destructive typhoons requires long-term vision, commitment and investment.
“There is no way to know when it will happen, making it even more urgent to prepare while the weather is clear. Resources, financial or otherwise, have to be allocated in preparing towns, provinces, and islands from becoming the next disaster,” she said.
Odette—the strongest cyclone to hit the disaster-prone Philippines this year—left at least 326 people dead. Many of the typhoon-hit areas remained without electricity, communications, and enough food and water supply.
As the world becomes warmer because of human-induced climate change, cyclones are strengthening more rapidly.
Annually, an average of 20 storms hit the Philippines—among the most vulnerable nations to the impacts of climate change.
Early this week, Greenpeace Philippines lamented the government’s continued lack of action on the climate crisis.
“In the past decade, Filipinos have seen the worst typhoons occur year after year. How many more climate disasters do we have to endure before urgent solutions are put in place?” Greenpeace campaigner Virginia Benosa-Llorin said.
“The more the world waits for solutions, the more we suffer the consequences of the lack of action,” she added.