DENR: 13.6 million Filipinos should relocate amid rising seas

MANILA, Philippines — Around 13.6 million Filipinos would need to relocate amid the impact of climate change, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

“We share similar experiences with the developing countries. It is projected that almost 17 percent of the Philippines’ islands will be submerged due to sea level rising by (the year) 2100, putting at risk 64 provinces… and (an) estimated 13.6 million Filipinos would need relocation,” DENR Undersecretary for finance, information systems and climate change Analiza Rebuelta-Teh said. 

She did not identify the affected provinces but said the 2023 World Risk Index ranks the Philippines as the country with the highest disaster risks.

The country’s hosting of the Loss and Damage Fund (LDF) Board gives vulnerable and developing countries representation, she declared.

“The Loss and Damage Fund is really for the purpose of addressing those that are almost irreversible to address,” Rebuelta-Teh said.

Climate Change Commission Secretary Robert Borje said yesterday that the selection of the Philippines as host of the LDF board is a vital step in mobilizing the much-needed support for nations most at risk of climate change to further bolster capacities to recover, rebuild and transform better.