National Climate Change Action Plan

The manifestations of climate change in the form of rising temperature, variability of precipitation, frequency and intensity of typhoons, sea level rise, and the risks of more droughts, floods, heat waves, and forest and grassland fires have impacts on the economy, environment and communities. Given its geographical location, archipelagic formation in the tropical Pacific, and population distribution, the Philippines is greatly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and has already experienced noticeable adverse effects in recent years. Without concerted global and local action, the challenges the country will face as a result of climate change are expected to intensify in the medium or long term.

In response to what has essentially become a global crisis, the government has enacted the Climate Change Act (Republic Act 9729) that provides the policy framework with which to systematically address the growing threats on community life and its impact on the environment.

The Climate Change Act establishes an organizational structure, the Climate Change Commission, and allocates budgetary resources for its important functions. These functions include:

• the formulation of a framework strategy and program, in consultation with the global effort to manage climate change, 
• the mainstreaming of climate risk reduction into national, sector and local development plans and programs, 
• the assessments of vulnerability and facilitation of capacity building, 
• the formulation of a framework strategy and program, in consultation with the global effort to manage climate change.

The national climate change framework strategy has recently been translated into a National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP), which prioritizes food security, water sufficiency, ecological and environmental stability, human security, climate-smart industries and services, sustainable energy, and knowledge and capacity development as the strategic direction for 2011 to 2028.