Disturbing climate change

MANILA, Philippines – Rappler talks to Fr. Jett Villarin, one of the Filipino authors of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment Reports and the president of Ateneo de Manila University.

As the 20th United Nations Climate Change Conference (#COP20) at Lima comes to a close, the Philippines reels from the effects of Typhoon Ruby. Ruby (international name: Hagupit) is the latest among a slew of typhoons that battered the country in 2014. The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council says Ruby, which started out a super typhoon, killed at least 11 and affected over 2 million people in Eastern Visayas and Central Luzon.

In Lima, negotiators debate over a UN pact to curb global warming and the politics of climate change action. Should rich, developed nations commit to more responsibility in decreasing greenhouse gas emissions? What will the future look like if climate change progresses at its current pace?

With the Philippines topping a list of countries most affected by climate change in 2013, the discussion on climate change becomes more and more significant. The Philippines ranks number one in the Global Climate Risk Index 2015, a list of countries most affected by weather-related disasters like storms, floods, and heatwaves. Cambodia ranks 2nd, and India places 3rd. Last year, Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the Visayas and left more than 6,300 dead.

Is worsening climate change inevitable? Will the typhoons be worse in 2015? What does climate change resiliency mean? How does the government address the knowledge gap on climate change?

Watch the interview on Rappler. – Rappler.com