Guest Blog by Ros Arayata
On 26 September 2009, the Philippines made international news when Supertyphoon Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) hit Metro Manila and 16 provinces. Ondoy’s wrath affected over 900,000 families, resulted in 464 deaths and brought damage to infrastructure and agriculture at an estimated cost of £160 million. It was recorded as the worst flooding the metropolis had seen in nearly 40 years.
On 27 September 2011, one day after the 2nd year commemoration of Ondoy, Typhoon Pedring (international name: Nesat) hit the Philippines. Weather authorities reported Nesat as stronger, faster and containing less moisture compared to Ondoy. In less than two days, public transport was disrupted and millions of residents were left without electricity as strong winds damaged power lines in the Luzon region. Authorities have reported at least 611,000 families were affected in 41 cities in 34 provinces, that 66 people died, and that there was an estimated damage of at least £138 million to infrastructure and agriculture.
Shortly after Pedring, tropical cyclone Typhoon Quiel, (‘Nalgae’) hits the country, which affected thousands of families and brought additional damage to property worth £2.3 million in provinces which have not yet recuperated from the previous typhoon. It was also reported that the two consecutive typhoons displaced at least 250 families due to storm surges.
Large tropical cyclones create storm surges which exacerbate flood conditions in coastal zones and adjoining low-lying areas. The Philippines, having the world’s 4th longest coastline and enduring an average of 20 typhoons annually, makes the country more vulnerable to ocean disturbances. In 2009, a research paper from the Center for Global Development by Susmita Dasgupta and others (and funded by the UK’s Department for International Development) predicted that climate change would intensify storm surges in future, as oceans rise and cyclone activity intensifies. Larger storm surges threaten greater loss of life and economic damage in developing countries as they move further inland and threaten larger areas than in the past. In that paper the Philippines was identified as amongst the top ten countries (among 84 coastal developing countries) whose coastal GDP is at risk from storm surges, while Manila was identified as the top-ranked city in the world for population impact from storm surges. (The city of Taguig was 23, and Kalookan 25).
The Philippines also ranks 3rd in the recent World Risk Index, which measures social vulnerability, as well as exposure to natural hazards and climate change, of 173 countries throughout the world. Three countries in South East Asia are ranked in the top ten in the WRI, with Timor-Leste at number 7, and Cambodia at number 9 in the list. The United Kingdom is 138th in the WRI ranking.
The UK is committed to help developing countries combat climate change. The UK’s national interest in economic and climate security depends largely on developing countries adopting low carbon patterns of development, and adapting to the unavoidable impacts of climate change.
The UK Government has allocated £2.9 billion to a new “International Climate Fund” for the period until 2015. The Fund is designed to support international poverty reduction by helping developing countries adapt to climate change, take up low carbon growth, and tackle deforestation. As part of this, the UK is supporting the Climate Development and Knowledge Network (CDKN) over the period 2010 – 2015. CDKN offers developing country decision-makers advice, technical assistance, research, strategic knowledge sharing and partnership building to make long term policy and investment decisions that are resilient to climate change and consistent with low carbon development.
Recognising the high vulnerability of the Philippines to climate change and its important relationship with the UK, our Embassy in Manila has a significant role in liaising with the Philippine Government – both to emphasise the UK’s commitment to help countries cope with climate change, and to alert the Philippines to international resources such as the CDKN.
Ros Arayata is the Climate Change Attaché at the British Embassy in Manila.