Climate change
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CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE PHILIPPINE CRISIS Philppine Climate Watch Alliance June 2012
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Transcript of Climate change
CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE PHILIPPINE CRISIS !Philppine Climate Watch Alliance June 2012
1. The Reality of Climate Change 2. Projected changes and its impacts 3. Causes of change 4. Climate change in the Philippines 5. Responses to climate change
Introduction
Observed changes in climate
The reality of climate change
!
1. Life on earth depends on, is shaped by and affects climate. !
Climate system diagram!
!
2. Warming of the climate is unequivocal. !
Temperature rise!
Average global temperature increased by 0.74 degrees Celsius between 1906 and 2005. !In its 2007 Assessment, IPCC predicted an additional rise of 1.8–4.0 degrees Celsius this century, depending on how much and how soon greenhouse gas emissions are curbed. !!
Sea level rise!
Sea levels across the globe have risen in a way consistent with the warming – since 1961 at an average of 1.8 mm per year, and since 1993 at 3.1 mm per year. The total global rise in the 20th century amounted to 17 cm.!!
Melting snow and ice!
Minimum arc*c sea-‐ice extent from 1979 to 2007
Decreases in snow and ice extent are also consistent with warming. Satellite data recorded since 1978 show the annual average Arctic sea ice extent has shrunk by 2.7 per cent each decade, with larger decreases in summer. Mountain glaciers and average snow cover have declined in both hemispheres.!
Increasing Strength and frequency of Typhoons (Category 4/5)!
Source: Science Magazine, Sep 16, 2005
Extreme weather events
From 1900 to 2005 precipitation (rain, sleet and snow) increased significantly in parts of the Americas, northern Europe and northern and central Asia, but declined in the Sahel, the Mediterranean, southern Africa and parts of southern Asia. !!
!
3. Human activities are impacting the climate system. !
Surging GHG emissions !
Projected change and its impacts
!4. Climate
change will have consequences for the earth system and human lives.!
Unequal histrorical responsibilities
Causes of change
!
5. It is the rich and industrialized nations who have emitted most GHG in the atmosphere.!
• Top 25 GHG emitters account for an estimated 80% of global emissions.!
• Top 7 emitters accounted for 52% of the 185 nations’ emissions.!
• In 2000, the US emitted 19% of the world total, followed by China with 14%; !
• No other country reached 6%!
2000 GHG Emissions!
1850-2000 GHG Emissions!
• In terms of historical emissions, industrialized countries where less than 20% of the total world population lives account for 80% of the CO2 buildup in the atmosphere to date.!
Consumption of energy and fuels!• COAL: The top 25 GHG
emitting countries account for approx 92% of global coal consumption, production, and known reserves. 5 countries account for 3/4 of worldwide consumption. !
• OIL: The top 25 GHG emitting countries account for 78% of oil consumption, 61% of production, and 51% of known oil reserves.!
• NATURAL GAS: The top 25 GHG emitters account for 77% of global consumption, 67% of production, and 58 % of gas reserves. !
!
!
6.The ecological crisis is indeed historical and linked with the current global economic crisis. !
• Unprecedented rise in GHG production and concentration on the onset of capitalist system!
• Industrial revolution!• Modern technology!• Intensive use of
machines and fossil fuels for transportation, trade and energy. !
Historical context!
• Almost half the world — over three billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day.!
• 1.6 billion people — a quarter of humanity — live without electricity!
• Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names!
• 1.4 million die each year from lack of access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation!
• According to UNICEF, 25,000 children die each day due to poverty.!
• In 2005, the wealthiest 20% of the world accounted for 76.6% of total private consumption. The poorest fifth just 1.5%:!
• About 0.13% of the world’s population controlled 25% of the world’s financial assets in 2004.!
• For every $1 in aid a developing country receives, over $25 is spent on debt repayment!
Great and exciting advances!• Information technology,
automation, genetics and medicine!
Greatest challenges!• Famine and hunger, rapid
ecological destruction, breakdown of health systems, social decay and disintegration!
!
• The goal: to maximize short-term private financial profits !
• Anarchic !• Wasteful and pollutive!• Monopoly on production,
resources, capital!• Division of the world –
market, raw materials and war!
!
Characteristics of production ofCorporate Capitalism !
MNCs and the exploitation of natural resources in developing countries!
Transnational corporations!• 1998, 4 out of the 11 biggest
producers of oil are TNCs (BP Amoco-Arco, Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell at Chevron-Texaco). !
• 2005, oil TNCs like British Petroleum, Exxon Mobil, Shell Dutch controls 18% of global oil reserves!
• 2004, the 10 biggest oil TNCs in the US control around 55% of the oil production while the top 50 controls 77%!
• 2006, Exxon Mobil Corporation reported — TNC having the biggest GHG emission in the world (150 million tons-6th largest if it were a country ) – and a net profit of $39.5 billion from gross income of $377.6 billion !
• TNCs owns the biggest agricultural plantations, logging corporations, large dams, energy plants, etc..!
System in crisis!
Extraction -> Production -> Distribution -> Consumption -> Disposal!
Climate change in the Philippines
!7. It is the poor
and marginalized people who are most vulnerable and affected by the impacts of climate change.!
• 92.2 M population (2009 est.)!
• 27.6 M or 33/100 poor Filipinos !
• 4.7 M or 24/ 100 poor families!
• PhP 6,274 monthly income of Filipino family of five to stay out of poverty!
• 71. 4 % Self rated poverty (Oct 2009 by Ibon National Opinion Survey!
Human Resources!
Income distribution!
Poverty incidence among the basic sector!
• Poor countries like the Philippines are vulnerable to enhanced hazards due to climate change!
• Already a disaster-prone country!
• 12th country in the world most at risk to disasters UNISDR!
• Destroyed environment!• Lack of financial, institutional
and technological capacity and access to knowledge!
• Exacerbates inequities in health status and access to adequate food, clean water and other resources.!
6th most vulnerable in the world!
Most vulnerable in Southeast Asia!
Climate Change in the Philippines!• From 27 typhoons during the period 2000-2003, the
number ominously increased to 39 from 2004-2007!• The typhoons are getting stronger and stronger,
especially since the late 1990s. Typhoon signal no. 4 is a fairly recent category.!
• Total damages brought about by typhoons increased by 408% from 2003 to 2006!
• Seven of the 20 deadliest typhoons in the Philippines covering the period 1947-2006 occurred in 1990-2006!
• Under a systerm where profit is the primary objective of societal production, the environment and our ecosystems are reduced to being a source of raw materials and dumping ground for wastes.!
• Under such a system, countries which top the list in terms of profit and industrial might also become the world's foremost culprits of environmental degradation. !
!
Global warming worsens the impact of imperialist plunder!
!8. The Philippine
government is largely responsible for the environmental crisis and lack of disaster-preparedness program in the country.!
Government Initiatives!
• Climate Change Task Force!• Clean Development
Mechanism!• 1991 Inter-Agency
Committee on Climate Change!
• Oct. 29 – Arroyo signed (RA 9729) Climate Change Commission!
• 2009 Climate Change Bill!
• EPIRA (privatization of energy plants and building of new ones by private sector) !
• Philippine Energy Plan 2005-2014 – building new coal power plants and increasing it share in energy production by 40% !
• Others – Mining Act, Biofuels Act, Clean Air Act, Joint explorations!
Philippine Government!l Large scale plunder of the
environment!l Without benefit to the
majority of our people!l Benefits only a small
segment of society!l Government policies
aggravates our climate vulnerability!l Biofuels Act!l Oil deregulation law!l Mining Act 1995!l EPIRA!l Forestry Code!l Neoliberal Globalization!l Corruption!
Responses to climate change
!
9. Any genuine move resolve the problem of global warming must critically recognize and address the larger socio-economic context in which it occurs.!
!
UNFCCC and KYOTO PROTOCOL!l 1992: Interna*onal agreement under
the United Na*ons Framework Conven*on on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
l reduce GHG emissions, on average by about 5% between 2008-‐2012 rela*ve to 1990
l 1997: Kyoto Protocol; The flexibility mechanisms
• Funding mechanisms to assist developing countries
l 175 countries except US and Australia (Australia later signed on Kyoto)
1. Climate chnge is real. 2. Climate change is not just an environmental
issue but a social justic issue. 3. Historically linked with the the world socio-
economic crisis. 4. Will worsen the Philippine crisis. 5. Inaction is inexcusable.
Conclusion
!
10. The decisions, actions and solutions should primarily consider and uphold the interest an welfare of the majority of our people and environment.!
!!
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Thank you!
