Climate change is a global challenge, but it affects each locality differently.
In order to make climate-smart decisions, then, it is critical that we have up-to-date, localized climate knowledge. A sound scientific basis allows decision-makers to evaluate the environmental and socio-economic consequences of climate change, and to formulate realistic response strategies.
Climate knowledge in the Philippines, however, is still in its infancy. While at the international level the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) provides the world with a clear scientific view of the current state of knowledge on global climate change, we lack the same authoritative body in the Philippines.
To address this, we partnered with the Climate Change Commission to produce the Philippine Climate Change Assessment Report (PhilCCA).
The PhilCCA synthesizes scientific information from international and local literature in order to provide an assessment of climate change for the Philippines and identify gaps in the scientific literature. It contains comprehensive information on climate change science in the Philippines that can guide everyone in making strategic decisions.
The PhilCCA will have three volumes, namely:
- Working Group I: The Physical Science Basis
- Working Group II: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability (to be released in mid-2017)
- Working Group III: Mitigation of Climate Change (to be released in mid-2017)
The newly published Working Group I report covers the following topics:
- Global Changes in Climate
- The Philippine Climate
- Historical Changes in Philippine Climate
- Observed Changes in Ocean Climate and Sea Level in the Philippines
- Drivers of Local Changes in Climate; and Projections of Future Changes in Climate.