Written by: Jhanavi Ravi
Visual by: Anamaria Reyes
Climate change has caused numerous casualties in the Philippines. Naderev Sano, a man who represented the Philippines in UN discussions about climate change, clearly stated that one of the main causes of Typhoon Haiyan –the deadliest storm in the Philippines– was climate change. As people continue to diminish the severity of this issue, more homes and lives are destroyed in the Philippines and other countries around the world. That being said, people can only begin to understand the gravity of climate change if they are well informed about it, which is why it needs to be included in the education system in the Philippines.
As a result of climate change, huge economic losses occur. Agriculture employs 40% of the population of the Philippines and contributes 20% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on average. Because of climate change, FAOs representative for the Philippines predicts that crop yields will decline by 15%. In 2015, the fisheries sector contributed nearly 4.33 billion dollars to the economy of the Philippines. This means the Philippines is largely dependent on the fishery sector for economic welfare. Climate change causes a change in the oceanic currents which affects the environment. Similar to agriculture, climate change leads to a reduction in the fish population. In both of these cases, not only the economy but the food security of the Philippines is seriously affected. If the economy of the country declines, climate change will continue to destroy lands and the government will find it more challenging to pay the damages and reparations made each time. Additionally, the government will not be able to supply resources and good infrastructure for schools in the Philippines, thus further increasing educational inequity. However, if awareness is spread on climate change and its drastic effects on the current generation through the education system, this generation might have enough knowledge to come up with a solution to resolve climate change and to help ensure that the economy does not crash. The current generation would also be educated enough to urge older generations to be more aware and to follow certain practices that prevent global warming, like reusing and heavier use of public transport.
Barobo National High School has integrated climate change into all of the subjects taught at the school. Though it is not taught as a separate subject, the principal of the school runs over the lesson plans with the teachers to make sure that discussions about climate change are included. In 2011, over 8,000 teachers in the Philippines had been thoroughly educated about climate change with the help of climate change scientists and experts in order to perfect 20 lesson plans for every subject area. Though climate change is not introduced as an individual subject in the Philippines school system, it is something that the Philippines has started to take more seriously and with more time, there could be a possibility of the Philippines including climate change as a subject of its own.
People need to understand the consequences of climate change and how it could possibly harm the Philippines on a much larger scale, leading to the potential extinction of humans. As technology advances and more information about our world is acquired each day, the current generation has the potential to reduce climate change and, inadvertently, reduce educational inequity for future generations. However, this change can only be made if the government provides the proper resources for students about climate change.
Citations
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Food Agriculture Organization of The United Nations. “Fact sheet in Philippines - Women in agriculture, environment and rural production.” FAO, Food Agriculture Organization of The United Nations, http://www.fao.org/3/ae946e/ae946e03.htm#:~:text=Agriculture%20plays%20a%20significant%20role,to%20the%20Gross%20Domestic%20Product. Accessed 1 Oct 2020.
National Economic and Development Authority. “Addressing the Impacts of Climate Change in the Philippine Agriculture Sector.” NEDA, National Economic and Development Authority, https://www.neda.gov.ph/addressing-impacts-climate-change-philippine-agriculture-sector/. Accessed 1 Oct 2020.
Philippine Information Agency. “Philippines: High school climate change initiatives impress foreign tourists.” Prevention Web, Prevention Web, 17 Oct 2012, https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/29182. Accessed 1 Oct 2020.
Suh, David, and Robert Pomeroy. “Projected Economic Impact of Climate Change on Marine Capture Fisheries in the Philippines.” Frontiers In Marine Science, Frontiers In Marine Science, 16 Apr 2020, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.00232/full#:~:text=The%20climate%20change%20impacts%20on,compared%20to%20the%20baseline%20scenario. Accessed 1 Oct 2020.
Vidal, John, and Damian Carrington. “Is climate change to blame for Typhoon Haiyan?” The Guardian, The Guardian, 13 Nov 2013, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/12/typhoon-haiyan-climate-change-blame-philippines. Accessed 30 Sep 2020.
World Agroforestry. “Climate change adaptation added to Philippines school curriculum.” World Agroforestry, World Agroforestry, 15 Jun 2011, http://www.worldagroforestry.org/news/climate-change-adaptation-added-philippines-school-curriculum. Accessed 1 Oct 2020.
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