Climate change impacts felt by huge majority of Filipinos — Pulse Asia
MANILA, Philippines (Update 1, 2:49 p.m.) — A significant majority of Filipinos said the impacts of climate change on their communities over the past three years were substantial, a survey by pollster Pulse Asia showed.
The survey conducted from September 10 to 14 found that 65% of Filipino adults observed that there was a “big change in the climate” in their area over the past three years. Pulse Asia noted that the view was shared by small to huge majorities in all geographic areas and socio-economic classes.
In contrast, only 11% of adults reported a “small change in the climate” in their community. Twenty-four percent of the adult population expressed ambivalence on the matter.
The impacts of the climate crisis extend far beyond changes in temperature or weather patterns. It disrupts ecosystems, affects food production and human health, intensifies disasters, threatens coastal communities with rising sea levels and exacerbates social inequalities.
The Philippines is among the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, with poor and rural communities bearing the brunt of disasters.
“The survey all but confirms what a majority of Filipinos not only know, but feel: that climate impacts are escalating, and unless the government listens to the survey and takes swift action, more Filipinos and their families will be put in harm’s way,” Greenpeace campaigner Jefferson Chua.
A separate poll by Social Weather Stations published in March found that 93% of Filipino adults said that they have experienced the impacts of climate change.
SPECIAL REPORT: Climate change is a societal issue. Why is teaching it limited to memorizing science?
‘Dangerous’ to environment, humans
The Pulse Asia survey showed that a huge majority of Filipino adults, or 71%, considered climate change to pose a significant threat to both themselves and their families.
Sixty-eight percent and 69% of Filipinos also viewed climate change as dangerous for the environment and the country, respectively.
The survey also found that many adults possessed either a sufficient understanding (44%) or limited awareness (40%) about climate change.
The pollster said the same pattern of public opinion was observed in Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Mindanao and all socio-economic groups. The only exception was Visayas, where 56% of residents said they possessed adequate knowledge on climate change.
Only 11% claimed to have extensive knowledge on climate change, while 5% admitted to having almost no understanding or complete lack of knowledge about it.
Almost half, or 46%, of adults attributed calamities to human-made environmental destruction, the Pulse Asia survey showed. The figure was 18 percentage points lower than last year’s survey.
Thirty-two percent believed that natural processes were responsible for such disasters, while 21% considered calamities to be warnings or punishments from God.
Climate scientists have stressed that the climate crisis is caused by greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion, deforestation, and other human activities.
The United Nations-backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that every increment of warming will result in more intense heat waves, heavier rainfall and other weather extremes that further increase risks for human health and ecosystems.
Nations will gather in the United Arab Emirates next month for the COP28 climate summit, which is seen as a crucial opportunity for governments to intensify efforts in limiting global warming.
“The government should make climate action a priority before more Filipinos suffer. Standing with communities demanding accountability and compensation from the big oil and gas corporations–the real culprits of climate change–would give Filipinos a fighting chance to rise above the climate crisis,” Chua said.
- Latest
