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Motorists slowly navigate the flooded Antero Soriano Highway in General Trias, Cavite on October 30, 2022. The heavy rains brought by storm Paeng caused massive flooding in different parts of the country. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File
MANILA — Around 9 in 10 Filipinos felt the impact of climate crisis in the past 3 years, such as hotter days and devastating storms, according to a survey by Social Weather Stations (SWS) released Thursday.
Of 1,200 adults polled last December, 93 percent said they personally experienced the effects of changing climate in the past 3 years or the first years of the COVID pandemic, the SWS said.
Seventeen percent experienced severe climate change impact, 52 percent felt moderate impact, and 24 percent said they felt little impact.
"Those personally experiencing the impacts increased by 6 percentage points from March 2017 and 8 points from March 2013," the pollster said.
"Those who experienced severe impact of climate change decreased by 3 points but was offset by an increase of 10 points among those who experienced moderate impact," it added.
Aside from higher temperatures and stronger typhoons, the warming climate also stoked increased drought, a rise in sea levels, loss of species, food scarcity, and added health risks, according to the UN.
ACTION, AWARENESS
The SWS survey came as the UN reported that devastating climate impacts were hitting faster than expected as the world teetered on reaching the 1.5 degree Celsius warming limit in a little over a decade.
The world is currently set to reach 1.5C above pre-industrial levels in the early 2030s, which will ratchet up the severity of climate change impacts in the near future.
The SWS poll found that 8 in 10 Filipinos believe they can do something to reduce the risk of climate crisis, while 3 out of 4 think humanity can do something to stop or slow down climate change "if they really tried."
The majority of Filipinos are also aware of some solutions to tackle the climate crisis listed by the United Nations Act Now, such as tree planting, forest protection, saving electricity, recycling, walking, or taking public transportation, the SWS said.
In a study published in 2019, the Philippines topped the list of countries most susceptible to hazards brought about by climate change.
The Philippines, which experiences around 20 storms per year, saw destructive typhoons in the last 3 years, including Rolly, Ulysses, Odette, and Karding.
— With a report from Agence France-Presse