Watch the FULL webinar here: https://youtu.be/vYC9KtF0qX4=
Stimson Center co-hosted by US-Philippine Society launched an online discussion on what was accomplished at COP28, what is ahead for the Philippines, and opportunities for US-Philippine cooperation yesterday, Dec. 12, 2023.
Keynote speakers are our very own DENR Secretary, Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, and Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Asia, USAID, Michael Schiffer.
Featured Speakers are Tracy Rouleau, Nonresident Fellow of Stimson Center, Butch Meily, President of PDRF, and Belen T. Fernandez, Dagupan City Mayor.
Secretary Loyzaga pointed out that the position of the Philippines in COP28 is premised from the principles of Rule of Law that "guarantees equity in the global common" and Multilateralism as evidenced by the negotiations that the Philippines has agreed and entered into such as UNCLOS, Convention of Biological Diversity, Paris Agreement, and on the recently signed UN High Seas Treaty or Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction in the Oceans (BBNJ).
The Philippines ranks 4th worldwide in having the longest coastline and is most exposed to climate change impacts. According to Michael Schiffer, USAID recognizes a whole range of vulnerabilities in the Philippines from food security, declining fishery stocks, health & pandemic patterns, to climate-related shocks and natural disasters, and the critical need to transition to clean energy to help the world get to net-zero. Therefore, USAID's priority is to seek deep, good quality engagement with partners in the Philippines to create greater resilience.
In Dubai, Secretary Loyzaga stressed the "need to have urgent and responsive means to implement adaptation, not just mitigation, and also pursue loss and damages" caused by climate change.
To achieve ecological integrity from ridge to reef, 5-Ss are needed: 1) Science to help in different decision-making levels
2) Scale recognizes the importance of cities
3) Stakeholders to acknowledge the need for whole of government and society
4) Synergy of stakeholders to work together in the most optimal fashion, and
5) Strategies created and has to be done together.
This article is intended to objectively impart information shared in the webinar. But as I listen and re-listen to the discussion while writing this article, it dawned on me that accomplishments of the keynote and featured speakers conform with the 5-Ss detailed by Secretary Loyzaga. Is it coincidental that the flow of discussion contains the 5-Ss? I hope that the momentum of the 5-Ss approach detailed below gains bigger traction, is further enhanced, and made firmer. As we realize that our approach in building climate resiliency is on the right path, we march forward and not go astray.
This is my attempt to breakdown the information shared by all the speakers and arrange them under the 5-Ss:
SCIENCE:
Coastal cities and island states being the forefront of calamities need to understand their most critical climate vulnerabilities, where to channel valuable resources and build resilience. In response, Stimson Center developed a decision support tool, Climate and Ocean Risk Vulnerability Index (CORVI) to produce a holistic coastal city risk profile, come up with priority recommendations to reduce climate vulnerabilities, build resilience, and help access international and local climate financing from funders such as Green Climate Fund, Global Environment Facility, World Bank, etc.
CORVI debuted in Dagupan City, Philippines in collaboration between Stimson Center, Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and Ecosensya Solutions for Environmental Sustainability, a first in Southeast Asia. Findings of the report, Measuring Multidimensional Climate Risks in Dagupan, Philippines, presented by Tracy Rouleau during the online discussion infer that Dagupan faces significant vulnerabilities from perennial flooding, potential future droughts, evolving new threats to water security, and lack of waste or sewage treatment infrastructure. Moreover, the main industries are tied to vulnerable coastal, marine, and river ecosystems. Priority recommendations include Institutionalizing Climate Resiliency Project Planning and Implementation to reduce flood risks, sustain economic growth, and improve human health and safety, Implement Decentralized Nature-based Solutions for Wastewater Treatment and Groundwater Recharging in Vulnerable Communities, and Improve the Sustainability and Diversity of the City’s Blue Economy Industries. For the detailed report, go to https://www.stimson.org/2023/corvi-measuring-multidimensional-climate-risks-in-dagupan-philippines/
The result of the risk assessment and recommendations can assist the local government of Dagupan City prioritize their programs and where to channel their resources and energy to build resilience.
SCALE:
Secretary Loyzaga highlighted the importance of cities as the frontliner in climate change adaptation and mitigation to increase the country's over all resilience. The valuable lessons learned from each city's experience cannot be discounted and national disaster risk reduction plans should consider a ground-up approach. Furthermore, she mentions that more than a victim of climate change, the Philippines has numerous resources to combat its vulnerabilities being 1 of the 17 mega diverse country in the world. By capitalizing on the city's biodiversity and institutional capacity, it can build their own adaptive capacity to the impacts of climate change.
She also mentioned that the collaboration with USAID's Climate Resilient Cities Project will help Philippine cities adapt to, mitigate, and endure the impacts of climate change by accessing climate financing and tools to build resilience.
STAKEHOLDERS:
The need for the whole of government and society to achieve ecological integrity is demonstrated with the presence of Secretaries from DOF, DOH, DOST, DILG, DA, and DOE, and attendance of representatives from several other government agencies, private sector, civil society, academe, and the youth.
SYNERGY:
The need to have urgent and responsive means to implement adaptation and mitigation measures is a joint endeavor between the government and private sectors. PDRF President Butch Meily believes No One Country, No One City, No One Company can deal with the effects of climate change. So, while the government is developing and implementing resilient strategies, the private sector complements its initiatives.
During the discussion, Butch Meily shared the initiatives of the private sector and demonstrated the strength of alliances. Group of companies worked together to plant mangroves, reforested the Marikina watershed, educated and provided alternative sources of income to affected families, and laid out the foundation in shifting from traditional to sustainable recovery initiatives. In time, PDRF shifted their focus from purely response to preparedness. Consequently, they built the first world's ever biggest emergency operations center that operates nationally run by the private sector. It monitors earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, changing weather conditions, and monitor storms around the world.
PDRF is working on USAID sponsored programs: Area-Wide Business Continuity which links Key Industry-Lifeline Utilities-LGU-Universities in specific geographical area that works together to prepare for disasters, and Climate Resilient Cities Program that targets vulnerable cities putting focus on training to adapt on the effects of climate change and build their own operation center.
STRATEGIES:
Secretary Loyzaga explains that strategies are "those we have to do together". She hopes that with the president's support of integrating climate into the different policy areas of the various executive government agencies which they are trying to institutionalize will inspire others to follow suit.
Challenges for a climate-vulnerable developing country posses grave social, economic, and environmental challenges that needs to be heard by other nations. As per Secretary Loyzaga, for the Philippines to build climate resiliency entails social, economic, environmental, and scientific-efforts of the whole-of-government. Hence, the Philippines is looking forward to the outcome of COP28 especially on the matters of adaptation, and loss and damage fund that can help developing countries cope with different climate change issue. She further announced during COP28 the country's desire to host the Loss and Damage Fund Board and bid for a position on the board as well.
The opportunity to expand the application of CORVI to other cities of Philippines is valuable as it pinpoints where the most critical issues are. According to Tracy Rouleau, most of the challenges are related to water as evidenced by other CORVI results and as experienced by PDRF as they conduct their activities in various cities. Moreover, Butch Meily stated that using the tool will help cities adapt to climate change and to do things better.
As pointed out by Hank Hendrickson, Executive Director, US-Philippines Society in his closing remarks, the Philippines is one of the most highly vulnerable countries in the world not only due to climate change but also of its geographic location (ring of fire), highly populated, and booming economy after the pandemic so there is a lot at stake. And that the US-Philippine Society has a huge role in pointing out areas of cooperation and opportunities to work together on climate resilience.
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