Climate crisis: TV5 highlights calls for climate action

CHEERS TO TV5 for its two-part special report that underscored the urgency of the climate crisis and its impact on the Philippines.

Frontline Tonight anchor Maeanne Los Baños reported on June 6 the first part of the series, which pointed to the need for leaders with clear proposals on climate mitigation. The report came after the Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced on June 1 their approval of a $250 million policy loan to support the Philippine government in addressing the effects of climate change. Explaining the move, the ADB cited the 2021 Global Climate Risk Index report published by the non-government organization Germanwatch, which ranked the Philippines as fourth among countries facing long-term risks due to climate change. 

Los Baños stressed the Philippine ranking in the report, which based its findings on fatalities, effects to the national economy and number of extreme weather events recorded from 2000 to 2019. This gave way to an alarming detail: the Philippines topped the list as having the most extreme weather events recorded in the period of coverage.

Disaster and climate change platform essential 

Among the experts Los Baños sought for comment was Mahar Lagmay, Executive Director at the UP Resilience Institute, who described aspiring leaders’ disaster and climate change platforms as the “most important” in view of the Index report.

Lagmay said anticipating the hazards would contribute to the country’s growth and development. He then reiterated the need for multi-sectoral coordination, particularly between energy, education, and tourism sectors, to substantially achieve climate mitigation.

Expert confirms report’s findings; rights issue flagged

The findings of the climate risk report were affirmed by Mar Villafuerte, Assistant Chief at the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). Villafuerte told Los Baños that tropical cyclones had come more frequently to the Philippines, recalling events recorded in the months of December 2021 to February 2022.

Meanwhile, Lea Guerrero, Greenpeace country director, responded by flagging climate change as a human rights issue, citing its direct impact on people’s homes and livelihoods. Guerrero recalled the damage to farmers’ crops and coastal fishing areas during extreme weather events. She added that the climate crisis is the biggest challenge the global community needs to confront.

The second part of the TV5 report aired on June 7, and underlined Greenpeace’s call to pursue climate justice. 

Citing the Union of Concerned Scientists’ findings from 2020, Los Baños reported that China and the United States were global leaders in carbon dioxide emissions, a leading cause of climate change.

Meanwhile, despite their low emissions, the Philippines and other developing nations suffer the worst consequences. Guerrero decried the situation as injustice since the “poorest countries” are left most vulnerable to resulting natural calamities.

Los Baños duly recalled the incoming Marcos administration’s position on the issue. In an April 2022 statement, President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared himself in favor of protecting nature’s rights. This has to be done to “safeguard the most vulnerable” from natural calamities, Marcos Jr. added.

The country’s newly-elected leaders should be questioned on their preparedness to address the climate crisis, which cuts across the class divide and affects all citizens. Journalists should not let the issue slip from the agenda.