MANILA, Philippines – Ninety-three percent of Filipino adults personally experienced the impacts of climate change in the past three years, according to a survey by pollster Social Weather Stations (SWS).
The SWS survey found that 17% of Filipino adults experienced the severe impact of climate change in the past three years, 52% said moderate impact, 24% said little impact, while 6% did not experience climate change impacts.
The percentage of Filipino adults personally experiencing the impacts increased by 6 percentage points from March 2017 and 8 points from March 2013. Those who experienced severe impacts decreased by 3 points, while those who experienced moderate impact increased by 10 points from March 2017.
Meanwhile, 88% agreed that they can do something to reduce climate risks resulting from climate change, 3% disagreed, and 10% were undecided.
The majority of Filipino adults or 76% said that “humanity could do something to stop or slow down climate change if everyone really tried,” while 23% said “climate change is beyond humanity’s control.” A small percentage or 1% were unsure.
A big majority or 81% were aware of climate change before the interview, while 19% were not.
The survey results also showed that almost all Filipinos were aware of solutions to reduce the negative effects of climate change. Here are the following percentages:
- 95% were aware of “planting trees in the right places and protecting forests”
- 95% for “saving energy or electricity at home”
- 93% for “walking, cycling, or taking public transportation”
- 91% for “reducing, reusing, repairing, and recycling”
- 86% for “throwing away less food”.
The Fourth Quarter 2022 SWS survey used face-to-face interviews nationwide: 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. The sampling error margins are ±2.8% for national percentages, ±5.7% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
The main question asked was: “In the past three years, have you, your family, or your community personally experienced the effects of climate change?” The question was stated in Filipino. – Laurice Angeles/Rappler.com
Laurice Angeles is a chemistry graduate from the University of the Philippines Diliman and is currently a volunteer under Rappler’s Research unit.
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