Motorists driving through the floodwaters on Quezon Avenue after minutes of moderate rain. Photo taken by Lester Naguna, PIA-NCR.
As the Philippines grapples with increasingly extreme weather events, the specter of climate change looms large over the nation’s youth. The year 2024 has already etched itself into the country’s meteorological history books, with record-breaking temperatures and devastating storms leaving Filipinos reeling.
In April, Metro Manila sweltered under a punishing 45°C heat index, while Zamboanga endured an even more extreme 53°C. More recently, Super Typhoon Carina and its enhanced habagat unleashed torrential rains that surpassed even the infamous Ondoy, plunging Metro Manila into its worst flooding in recent memory.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reports a staggering ten weather disturbances in 2024 so far, with six in September alone. The toll on infrastructure, homes, and human lives has been severe, raising a chilling question: Is this the new normal for Filipinos, especially the youth?
The answer, it seems, is a resounding and troubling “yes.”
A recent online poll by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reveals that climate change tops the list of concerns for nearly 3,000 young Filipinos surveyed. One in four believes that climate change and access to education may become the “biggest problems” their generation will face. Perhaps most alarmingly, 44% of respondents expressed pessimism about the future, believing that coming generations will be “worse off than today.”
This anxiety isn’t limited to the youth. Parents like Andy Daanoy Jr., whose child attends school in Quezon City, voice growing concern: “If it’s this bad now, what will it be like in 5 or 10 years? Maybe in a few years, children will mostly have online classes.”
UNICEF Philippines Representative Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov’s 2017 warning that the climate crisis is a child’s rights crisis rings truer than ever. “Filipino children face many dangers within their lifetimes,” Dendevnorov cautions, “but if we act now, we can prevent it from becoming worse.”
The Philippine government is taking steps to address the crisis. A recent P575 million ($10 million) boost aims to accelerate climate-resilient projects across various sectors. The implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act in 2022 holds companies accountable for their plastic packaging throughout product lifecycles. Earlier initiatives, like the 2020 ban on “unnecessary” single-use plastics in government offices, lay additional groundwork for change.
However, the scale of the challenge demands more than government action alone. Every Filipino citizen has a role to play in reducing their carbon footprint through simple yet impactful actions: recycling, conserving water and energy, minimizing plastic use, and making climate-conscious voting decisions.
As extreme weather events become more frequent and intense, the urgency to act grows. The future of Filipino youth hangs in the balance, their hopes and dreams increasingly threatened by a changing climate. The time for decisive action is now – for the sake of the next generation and the nation’s future. (JLN/PIA-NCR)
