CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate is frequently confused with weather. Climate, on the other hand, differs from weather in
that it is measured over time, whereas weather can change from day to day or year to year.
Seasonal temperature and rainfall averages, as well as wind patterns, make up an area's climate.
Climates differ depending on where you are. The desert, for example, has an arid climate because
it receives little water in the form of rain or snow throughout the year. Tropical climates, which
are hot and humid, and temperate climates, which have warm summers and milder winters, are
two more types of climate.

Climate change is a long-term shift in a place's temperature and typical weather patterns. Climate
change can refer to a specific place or the entire world. Weather patterns may become less
predictable as a result of climate change. Because projected temperature and rainfall levels can
no longer be relied upon, these unpredictable weather patterns might make it difficult to maintain
and develop crops in farming-dependent regions. Other harmful weather occurrences linked to
climate change include more frequent and more intense hurricanes, floods, downpours, and
winter storms.

Warming global temperatures linked to climate change have caused ice sheets and glaciers in the
polar regions to melt at a faster rate from season to season. As a result, sea levels are rising in
various parts of the world. Increased floods and erosion have begun to affect coasts as a result of
increasing sea levels and expanding ocean waters due to rising temperatures.

Human activity, such as the combustion of fossil fuels like natural gas, oil, and coal, is largely to
blame for present climate change. When these materials are burned, greenhouse gases are
released into the atmosphere. The heat from the sun's rays is trapped inside the atmosphere,
causing the Earth's average temperature to rise. Global warming is the term for the increase in
the planet's temperature. Climate change has an impact on local and regional climates. Climate
has fluctuated dramatically over Earth's history. When this happens naturally, it's a long,
laborious process that takes hundreds of thousands of years. Climate change induced by humans
is currently occurring at a considerably faster rate.
Climate change is one of the most important environmental challenges confronting the
Philippines. The Philippines, as an island nation in the Southeast Asia Pacific area, is particularly
sensitive to the effects of climate change. Natural disasters will occur more frequently and with
greater severity, as will sea level rise, excessive rainfall, resource shortages, and environmental
degradation. All of these factors have had a significant influence on the Philippines' agriculture,
water, infrastructure, human health, and coastal ecosystems, and they are expected to continue
wreaking havoc on the country's economy and society.

The Philippines accounts for 0.31 percent of worldwide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Nonetheless,
the country is extremely sensitive to climate change's effects. In the Philippines, greenhouse gas
emissions are increasing. The burning of coal and fuel oil for electricity generation accounts for more
than 40% of the country's GHG emissions, with many coal plants unable to reduce emissions due to
technical constraints. The Philippines, a party to the Paris Climate Agreement, has set a goal of reducing
emissions by 70% by 2030. Standard Chartered's support of coal businesses was criticized by youth
climate activists in 2021. The creation of an emissions trading system is being discussed through
legislation.

The Philippines is placed third on the World Risk Index for highest disaster risk and exposure to natural
disasters due to its geographic position, climate, and geography. The top 50 most vulnerable places in
Southeast Asia contain 16 of its provinces, including Manila, Benguet, and Batanes, with Manila placed
seventh. Manila, San Jose, Roxas, and Cotabato, all in the Philippines, are among the top ten cities in the
East Asia and Pacific region most vulnerable to sea level rise. Natural disasters including as typhoons,
floods, landslides, and drought are a constant threat to the country. It is situated in an area that has the
world's greatest rate of typhoons, with an average of 20 typhoons each year, with roughly 7–9 making
landfall. [1] In 2009, the Philippines had the third-highest number of natural catastrophe deaths, with
the second-highest number of victims.

Climate change has had and will continue to have a significant impact on the Philippines' climate. The
Philippines' average temperature increased by 0.65°C between 1951 and 2010, with fewer cold nights
and more hot days. The number of typhoons during the El Nio season has increased since the 1970s.
Since 1940, the Philippines has experienced a 0.15 meter rise in sea level, as well as a 0.6 to 1 degree
Celsius increase in sea surface temperatures since 1910 and a 0.09 degree Celsius increase in ocean
temperatures since 1950. Several record-breaking weather events occurred in the Philippines between
1990 and 2006, including the strongest typhoon (wind speeds), the most destructive typhoons
(damages), the deadliest storm (casualties), and the typhoon with the most 24-hour rainfall on record.