Essay On Climate Change In The Philippines

033216

Ms. Sheridan/Mr. Whittard

SNC2D-2/CGC1D-3

April 2014

A Study of the Changes in Natural Disasters due to the Effects of Climate Change in the Republic of the Philippines

Introduction

In 1927, for the first time in history, the world’s population reached two billion people. In 2011, less than one hundred years later, it passed seven billion (Worldometers). Some may think that this is a positive increase, creating economic growth and significant innovations in fields such as agriculture, industry and medicine. However, the amount of difficulties our species will encounter over the next century because of this population increase, will greatly outweigh those few optimistic beliefs. For example, twelve to fifteen million hectares of forest are lost every year, the equivalent of thirty six football fields per minute (World Wildlife Fund). In 2011, there were an estimated nine and a half billion metric tonnes of carbon emissions put into our atmosphere (CO₂ Now). The list could go on and on, but ultimately, these are all just contributors to what might be humanity’s most challenging problem yet: climate change.

As defined by the Oxford dictionary, climate change is, “a change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels.” (Oxford Dictionaries) Moreover, evidence of climate change can be found all over the world, and in many different forms, but is especially prevalent in certain regions. For instance, in Southeast Asia, specifically the nation of the Philippines, signs of climate change can be observed frequently, if not regularly. One major ...

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...ism can negatively or positively affect the economy of a country. In the case of the Philippines, when the global population (specifically North America and Europe) hears about all the severe storms the country experiences, people will, in most cases, not want to travel there. This is an increasingly important issue in recent years due to the popularity of the internet; people all over the world now have easy access to information regarding current global events. Similar to agriculture, a weakened tourism sector means a weakened economy.

Evidently there have been significant impacts on different sectors of the Philippines and its citizens. Unfortunately these impacts will only increase if action is not taken soon. Therefore, now more than ever, it is crucial to develop sensible strategies on the mitigation of climate change in the Philippines.

Demographic Overview