Climate Change in Relation to Poverty

            In nearly all areas of the globe, natural disasters and other climate extremes are increasing.  Moreover, more rapidly than ever known and experienced, the average global temperature and sea level are continuing to rise.  Climate change has been said to devastate all areas and aspects of natural resources and the environment, the socio-economic conditions, and the human health (Quang Hoc, 2008, p. 22).  According to Walker, Lin and Kobayashi (2009), these catastrophic occurrences have the impending ability to seriously disrupt economic growth and progress, especially in developing countries.  The Philippines, belonging in this category of developing countries, has felt these devastations in the recent years like the Tropical Storm Frank, which has killed more than 1,300 people in June of 2007 in 14 of the country’s regions, Iloilo being affected the most and has displaced 2.4 million people, and more recently, Tropical Storm Ondoy which hit Luzon recorded 243 deaths and affected 2,254,915 individuals and has left still many people homeless and wandering in the streets (Djoghlaf, 2008, Dizon & Guinto, 2008, Reyes, October 1, 2009).

Climate change is expected to have unfavorable consequences on the safety, health, and livelihoods of people with those suffering from poverty being first and most affected (Steffen, W., 2009).  The predicted climate change will be of hindrance to the imminent poverty reduction and will overturn numerous significant socioeconomic accomplishments of rising counties, like the Philippines. Even the most thorough alleviation will not be able to avert nearly upcoming climate change impacts because effects from past emissions are already set to transpire (Steffen, W., 2009).

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned that warming oceans could lead to the intensification of tropical cyclones.  In a warmer climate, the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events become stronger and more frequent.  | Tropical cyclones could become more intense.  When combined with sea level rise, this would result in an enhanced risk of loss of life and property in coastal low-lying areas in cyclone-prone regions. (Hoc, 2008)

Natural calamities and subsequent destruction wreaked on agricultural production cause immense losses to farmers in most countries in the Asia-Pacific region.  Farmers are not only deprived of their livelihood but are also burdened with the problem of setting their financial obligations for farm operations and investments.  This calls for intense adaptation actions to start over upcoming decades to lessen the impacts on communities that are in most danger of these effects (Steffen, W., 2009).

Rebuffing not the warming climate most especially in equatorial countries like the Philippines is rather necessary and practical to ensure the masses of sound solutions to inevitable disasters.  When coalesced with other effects, the consequences of the rising temperature will bring more damage than just drought as it moreover intensifies cyclones affecting more lives and properties.  In recognizing the many effects, disaster preparedness is but essential.  For centuries, people have tried to cope with natural calamities which we now term as risk management. 

Major weather disasters continue to wipe out families’ physical and financial assets.  By creating communities more resilient to the impact of major hazards, disaster management will prove its importance as a component to sustainable development. The solutions for adaptation strategies are to lessen the chances of climate change and to maintain, improve, and strengthen the livelihoods of people who are suffering in poverty (“International Institute”, 2003, p. 12). Moreover, it states that these strategies require deep knowledge of how people in poverty maintain their livelihoods, the function of natural resources in their day-to-day livelihood actions, and the extent of adaptation measures that lessen weaknesses and increase resistance of people who are suffering from poverty.  Bugna-Barrer (2008) reiterates that damages to livelihood and property can affect millions of already poor people causing the government to have a hard time generating the adequate amount necessary to help those who are affected.  Although farmers in general have adapted to most of these risks by employing various devices and looking for other means on their own or with the support of the government to prevent and/or cope with them, the problem of lingering risks persist and cannot be denied (“National Productivity”, 2007).