Press Release
November 4, 2016

STATEMENT OF SEN. FRANCIS PANGILINAN ON DAY PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT COMES INTO FORCE

November signals the start of a substantial global action to address the climate crisis. Today, November 4, last year's Paris climate agreement will enter into force ahead of next week's COP 22 (22nd Conference of Parties) discussions in Morocco. We welcome this initiative by world leaders both in politics and science, and hope that the Philippines will ratify this landmark climate deal.

Located along a typhoon belt and the Pacific Ring of Fire, our country is a disaster hotspot that hosts super typhoons, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes. And who are most vulnerable to the devastating effects of these disasters? Filipinos in rural areas who rely on agriculture and fisheries for their food and livelihood.

Too much rain leaves farmlands flooded, as too much heat renders fields unfit for planting. On the other hand, climate-related conditions, such as warmer sea surface, ocean acidification, and rising sea levels, have killed and are killing marine species.

Climate change threatens our ability to produce food as well as the income of our food producers, already the poorest in our society. Given these, world action must complement with local initiatives. On our end, we have filed several measures to increase their income in general and to counteract the devastating effects of disasters in particular. One of them is the Expanded Crop Insurance Act of 2016.

Our agriculture sector incurs almost P10 billion damages due to climate change. Through the Expanded Crop Insurance, our farmers will have a safety net whenever natural disasters render their crops useless. Right now, only 3% of damaged crops are insured, leaving most farmers in debt. We aim to ease their burden a little by ensuring enhanced credit rating plus government support in agricultural production.

Climate change is a global concern because it affects everyone. It is also local because it impacts on the food we eat. Those who grow or catch our food must be able to build back faster and better.

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