Stronger climate resilience sought

The Climate Change Commission (CCC) is urging stronger, science-driven, and multisectoral collaboration to enhance the Philippines’ resilience against the escalating impacts of climate change.

During the recent inauguration of the Climate Actors’ Forum and Exchange at Novotel Manila, CCC vice chairperson and executive director Robert E.A. Borje stressed that the country’s climate action must be anchored on science, foresight, and inclusive governance.

“To build right at first sight is to make resilience deliberate, not accidental,” Borje said. “The measure of good governance is not how fast we rebuild, but how rarely we need to.”

The forum, organized in partnership with the Oscar M. Lopez Center, gathered representatives from government, academe, civil society, and the private sector.

Discussions centered on the findings of the Philippine Climate Change Assessment Report Cycle 2, which outlines the state of climate science in the country and its implications for national adaptation and mitigation policies.

Borje stressed that the PhilCCA serves as a vital reference for implementing the National Adaptation Plan 2023–2050 and the Philippines’ Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Agreement.

The report reveals alarming trends: the Philippines is warming faster than the global average, and sea levels are rising three times faster than the global mean.