Jan 14, 2012
Climate Change and the Poor
Climate Justice underscores the inequality in terms of sharing the burden and impact of climate change. There is increasing recognition that when it comes to the climate crisis- some are more responsible than others. The paradox surrounding this crisis: those who have contributed least to the climate crisis are hit hardest by its consequences and expected to endure considerable adjustments. Asking “will the poor suffer more?”, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) recently released data regarding climate change and the poor. Groups like Greenpeace have previously noted the irony that severe climate impacts in the Philippines are bound to hit areas with high poverty incidence, while aggravating hunger and water issues, displacement concerns, health risks and livelihood insecurity.
The NSCB tables below show that climate hotspots cover mostly impoverished regions and provinces, such as the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), which will be the most vulnerable to a one-meter sea level rise and the most at risk to landslides, respectively. “In the most vulnerable regions, the poor are relatively at a greater risk to a one meter sea-level rise than the general population. If these statistics are right, the poor will most likely suffer more from climate change. Our poverty reduction program must therefore recognize the vulnerability of the poor to climate change and appropriate interventions must be designed accordingly,” says the NSCB.
Table 1. Area at risk to landslides by Region
|
Region |
Area at risk to landslide |
|
|
Land area (in hectares) |
Rank |
|
| CAR |
507,666 |
1 |
| Region IV-B |
486,442 |
2 |
| Region VI |
293,427 |
3 |
| Region I |
280,704 |
4 |
| Region V |
272,279 |
5 |
| Region VIII |
265,558 |
6 |
| Region XI |
255,540 |
7 |
| Region II |
229,112 |
8 |
| Region IV-A |
189,386 |
9 |
| Caraga |
167,516 |
10 |
| Region X |
152,811 |
11 |
| Region III |
152,518 |
12 |
| Region IX |
45,154 |
13 |
| Region XII |
32,345 |
14 |
| ARMM |
4,937 |
15 |
| NCR |
– |
|
| Region VII |
– |
|
| PHILIPPINES |
3,335,395 |
|
Source: Report on the Geospatial Technology in Disaster Prediction and Agricultural and Natural Resource Management (2004) by Dr. Esteban Godillano of the Department of Agriculture, as cited in The Philippines: A Climate Hotspot, Climate Change Impacts and the Philippines (April 2007) by the Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Climate and Energy Campaign.
Table 2. Five Most Vulnerable Regions at Risk to Landslides, Cumulative Percent Distribution of General Population and Magnitude of Poor Population
|
Vulnerability |
Region |
Vulnerability to landslide |
|
|
Gen. population % to Total |
Poor Population % to Total |
||
| Most vulnerable | CAR | 1.8 | 1.8 |
| 2 most vulnerable | CAR and Region IV-B | 4.9 | 6.9 |
| 3 most vulnerable | CAR, Regions IV-B and VI | 13.0 | 15.9 |
| 4 most vulnerable | CAR, Regions IV-B, VI, and I | 18.5 | 21.2 |
| 5 most vulnerable | CAR, Regions IV-B, VI, I, and V | 24.6 | 30.8 |
Source: NSCB
Table 3. Vulnerable to a one meter sea level rise by Region
|
Region |
Vulnerable to a one meter sea level rise |
||
|
No. of municipalities |
Land area (in sq.m.) |
Rank |
|
| ARMM |
39 |
137,635,200 |
1 |
| Region IX |
40 |
81,129,600 |
2 |
| Region IV-B |
64 |
75,807,900 |
3 |
| Region VIII |
92 |
75,662,100 |
4 |
| Region V |
86 |
74,277,000 |
5 |
| Region VII |
68 |
52,747,200 |
6 |
| Region VI |
68 |
38,118,600 |
7 |
| Region XI |
20 |
30,107,700 |
8 |
| Region IV-A |
46 |
23,805,900 |
9 |
| Region I |
48 |
20,322,900 |
10 |
| Region XII |
19 |
16,232,400 |
11 |
| Caraga |
40 |
12,611,700 |
12 |
| Region X |
31 |
12,109,500 |
13 |
| Region II |
18 |
6,439,500 |
14 |
| Region III |
23 |
4,252,500 |
15 |
| NCR |
1 |
380,700 |
16 |
| CAR |
0 |
– |
|
| PHILIPPINES |
703 |
661,640,400 |
|
Sources of basic data: http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/news/2005/story03-07-05.htm and http://beta.sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/gpw/lecz.jsp, as cited in The Philippines: A Climate Hotspot, Climate Change Impacts and the Philippines (April 2007) by the Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Climate and Energy Campaign.
Table 4. Five Most Vulnerable Regions to a one meter sea level rise, Cumulative Percent Distribution of General Population and Magnitude of Poor Population
|
Vulnerability |
Region |
Vulnerability to a one meter sea level rise |
|
|
Gen. population % to Total |
Poor Population % to Total |
||
| Most vulnerable | ARMM |
3.7 |
6.4 |
| 2 most vulnerable | ARMM, Region IX |
7.4 |
11.5 |
| 3 most vulnerable | ARMM, Regions IX and IV-B |
10.6 |
16.6 |
| 4 most vulnerable | ARMM, Regions IX, IV-B, and VIII |
15.3 |
23.6 |
| 5 most vulnerable | ARMM, Regions IX, IV-B, VIII, and V |
21.4 |
33.2 |
Source: NSCB
Table 5. Twenty provinces vulnerable to a one-meter sea level rise
|
Province |
Vulnerable land area |
|
|
In sq.m. |
Rank |
|
| Sulu |
79,728,300 |
1 |
| Palawan |
64,281,600 |
2 |
| Zamboanga del Sur |
37,818,900 |
3 |
| Northern Samar |
33,882,300 |
4 |
| Zamboanga Sibugay |
32,740,200 |
5 |
| Basilan |
30,294,000 |
6 |
| Cebu |
27,888,300 |
7 |
| Davao del Norte |
27,005,400 |
8 |
| Bohol |
23,895,000 |
9 |
| Camarines Sur |
22,680,000 |
10 |
| Quezon |
21,124,800 |
11 |
| Tawi-tawi |
17,390,700 |
12 |
| Masbate |
14,256,000 |
13 |
| Negros Occidental |
13,996,800 |
14 |
| Eastern Samar |
13,672,800 |
15 |
| Camarines Norte |
13,591,800 |
16 |
| Leyte |
10,926,900 |
17 |
| Capiz |
10,748,700 |
18 |
| Catanduanes |
10,643,400 |
19 |
| Western Samar |
10,635,300 |
20 |
Sources of basic data: http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/news/2005/story03-07-05.htm and http://beta.sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/gpw/lecz.jsp, as cited in The Philippines: A Climate Hotspot, Climate Change Impacts and the Philippines (April 2007) by the Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Climate and Energy Campaign.
Table 6. Five Most Vulnerable Provinces to a one meter sea level rise, Cumulative Percent Distribution of General Population and Magnitude of Poor Population
|
Vulnerability |
Provinces |
Vulnerability to a one meter rise |
|
|
Gen. population % to Total |
Poor Population % to Total |
||
| Most vulnerable | Sulu |
0.8 |
1.1 |
| 2 most vulnerable | Sulu and Palawan |
1.6 |
2.2 |
| 3 most vulnerable | Sulu, Palawan and Zamboanga |
2.6 |
3.9 |
| 4 most vulnerable | Sulu, Palawan, Zamboanga del Sur, and Northern Samar |
4.5 |
5.8 |
| 5 most vulnerable | Sulu, Palawan, Zamboanga del Sur,Northern Samar, and Zamboanga Sibugay |
5.2 |
7.0 |
Source: NSCB
(Published in: Focus on the Philippines April 2009, http://focusweb.org/oldphilippines/content/blogsection/8/6/9/18/)