Level of awareness on climate change and adaptation to extreme weather events of households in selected barangays in los baños laguna philippines

This study explores if the level of awareness on climate change of the household respondents in selected barangays in Los Baños, Laguna, contributes to the performing adaptation strategi

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY

COLLEENE IVIE L LANZADOR

LEVEL OF AWARENESS ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND ADAPTATION

TO EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS OF HOUSEHOLDS IN SELECTED

BARANGAYS IN LOS BANOS, LAGUNA, PHILIPPINES

BACHELOR THESIS

Study Mode : Full-time

DOCUMENTATION PAGE WITH ABSTRACT

Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry

Degree Program Bachelor of Environmental Science and

Management Student Name Colleene Ivie L Lanzador

Thesis Title

Level of Awareness on Climate Change and Adaptation to Extreme Weather Events of Households in Selected Barangays in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines

Supervisors Assistant Professor Maricel A Tapia

Dr Ho Ngoc Son Abstract:

The risks and impacts of climate change require adaptations that can address and help individuals secure their selves from the looming dangers However, performance of adaptation strategies depends on the capacities, foremost of which is the awareness of household to climate change and its impendence This study explores if the level of awareness on climate change of the household respondents in selected barangays in Los Baños, Laguna, contributes to the performing adaptation strategies that minimize immediate impacts and result in enhancing their resilience The study was conducted in

Los Baños, Laguna, particularly in the barangays of Bagong Silang, Bambang

and Lalakay It employed quantitative and qualitative data collections methods, particularly household survey, in-depth interview and secondary data collection Data from the household survey were analyzed using descriptive, correlation and regression analyses, and enriched with qualitative analyses from information gathered from in-depth interviews, and secondary data The results revealed that respondents have high level of awareness on what is climate change, but only the location of the household respondents affects their awareness on this global phenomenon Pre- and post-adaptation strategies are

such as typhoon, flood, drought and landslide Socio-demographic and economic characteristics, particularly source of income, monthly income, location and education, were found to influence their choice and performance

socio-of adaptation strategies Moreover, their level socio-of awareness has significant relationship to the performance of adaptation strategies, and in general to their adaptedness Thus this means that the level of awareness of people towards climate change influences their performance of effective adaptation strategies which can enhance their resilience It is recommended that disseminating climate change information through conduct of seminars and trainings can help communities, especially the respondents, to enhance their adaptive capacity, thereby enabling them to perform adaptation strategies that would contribute to their resilience

Keywords: Climate change, Awareness, Adaptation, Extreme

Weather Events, Hazard & Resilience Number of Pages 127 pages

Date of Submission November 2017

Signature of the

Supervisor

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4:13

The above bible verses serve as the fuel of the blazing spirit of the author during her stay in Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry for almost four years It gives her hope for new beginnings Those words keeps her motivated, empowered and excited to look forward even though, things in the future are seem to be unknown

Above all else, the author wants to express her deepest gratitude and declare the highest praise, glory and honor to the one and only Almighty Father

of the Heaven and Earth, for God has called her for a purpose; for the unconditional and unfailing love since her day one; and for giving her and her family His favor through strength, happiness, good health, grace, peace, tons of blessings and triumph The author owes it all to the Lord, for God has molded the best version of her

To the loving and supportive family, Rommel P Lanzador, Analiza L.Lanzador, Nicolle Marie Lanzador, Mary Angeli Anne Albes, Silvina Lapis, Alice Lapis, Amalia Baskiñas, and Norma Lanzador which serve as my greatest inspirations; for giving unending words of wisdom to enlighten, motivate and inspire her; and for the prayers, love and care

Deepest appreciation to the kind and helpful advisers, Prof Maricel A Tapia of College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Baños, College of Forestry and Natural Resources and Dr Ho Son of the faculty of Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry for giving ideas and assistance as the author conducted her research study

Sincerest thank you to all the selected respondents, including the community leaders and mostly to the International Science Relation Officer V of

Thai Nguyen, DD/MM/YYYY

the Climate Change Commission of the Philippines, Mr Alexis Lapiz, who invested a little time answering the structured questionnaire and interview for the thesis report

Ever grateful to Mrs Maribel L Prestado and Mr.Nelson C Del Mundo, Master Teacher II of Buenaventura E Fandialan Memorial Integrated National High School, a Ph D in Applied Linguistics (CAR) from De La Salle University Manila and an international presenter, for being the English adviser and editor of the author

To the Advance Education Program, Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry together with the Dr Dung Van Thao and the staff for providing the opportunity of study abroad and conducting the research study at her chosen university

To batch, K45-AEP, for sharing knowledge and happy memories along her journey in Vietnam, as well as to the first three batches, K42-AEP, K43-AEP and K44-AEP for helping and becoming a good role models to all K45-AEP Filipino students

To all friends, especially Alexis Ann Alcantara, Katriz Moldez, Goldwyn Macatangay, Ria Reyes, Keraia Geronimo, Jose Dunca, Joshua Veridiano, and Robert Raleigh Manuel, for the boundless support and motivation

To my roommate, reporting and library buddy, Martina P Sumadsad for being thoughtful and caring as always

The author got this far because of you all, who pushed her to pursue her goals, who relieved her stresses, who lightens her mood, who gives her positivity

in life, and who keeps on sending prayers for her Words are not enough to express how thankful and blessed the author is All the author can do is to take a new step with all the lessons, laughers and memories you have shared with her May the Lord bless all of you

The Researcher

Colleene Ivie L Lanzador

TABLE OF CONTENT

DOCUMENTATION PAGE WITH ABSTRACT ii

ACKNOWLEDGMENT iv

TABLE OF CONTENT vii

List of Figures x

List of Tables xi

List of Abbreviations xvi

PART I INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background of the Study 1

1.2 Research Questions 3

1.3 Objectives of the Study 5

1.4 Significance of the Study 5

1.5 Hypotheses 6

1.6 Scope and Limitation of the Study 6

1.7 Definition of Terms 7

PART II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 9

2.1 Climate Change 9

2.2 Environmental Changes and Natural Disasters/Hazards 11

2.3 Level of awareness and Perception to Climate change of Communities/Households 14

2.4 Vulnerability of Different Communities in the Philippines to Climatic Changes 16

2.5 Resilience of households to Climate Change: Focusing on Extreme Events 23

2.6 Conceptual Framework 28

PART IV METHODOLOGY 30

4.1 Materials 30

4.2 Description of the Study Area 31

4.3 Data Gathering 33

4.4 Selection of Respondents 34

Results of the Data Analysis 39

5.1.1 Socio-Demographic and Socio-Economic Profile of the Respondents 39

5.2 Level of Awareness and Perception towards Climate Change 47

5.2.1 Level of Awareness 48

5.2.2 Perception of All the Respondents towards Climate Change 49

5.3 Hazards Experienced by All respondents 54

5.4 Impacts of Extreme Events and Adaptation Strategies of the Respondents 60

5.4.1 Impacts of Extreme Events 61

5.4.2 Adaptation Strategies of the Respondents to Extreme Events 66

5.5 Period of Recovery of the Respondent after Extreme Events 84

5.6 Analysis among Socio-economic Characteristics of the Respondents, Level of Awareness and their Adaptation Strategies to Extreme Hazards 89

5.6.1 Relationship of the Socio-demographic and Socio-economic profile of the Respondents to their Level of Awareness to Climate Change 90

5.6.2 Pearson Correlation Analysis of the Socio-economic Characteristics of the Respondents to their Choice of Adaptation Strategies for Extreme Events 92

5.6.3 Regression Analysis of Level of Awareness and Adaptation Strategies of the Respondents towards Climate Change/Variability 110

5.6.4 Correlation Analysis of the Level of awareness and Adaptedness of the respondents toward the extreme hazards 117

PART VI: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 120

6.1 Conclusion 120

6.2 Recommendation 121

Bibliography: 123

Appendix A-1 128

Appendix A-2 131

Appendix A-3 138

Appendix A - Figures 149

Appendix B 138

Appendix C 159

Appendix E 162 Appendix F 166

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Conceptual Framework adapted from IPCC (2001) Vulnerability

Framework 29

Figure 2: Level of Awareness of the Respondents towards Climate Change 48

Figure 3: Impacts of Typhoon to the Selected Respondents 61

Figure 4: Impacts of Flood to the Selected Respondents 62

Figure 5: Impacts of Drought to the Selected Respondents 63

Figure 6: Impacts of Landslide to the Selected Respondents 64

Figure 7: Pre-Adaptation Strategies of the Individuals in response to Typhoon 67 Figure 8: During/Post Adaptation Strategies of the Individuals in response to Typhoon 68

Figure 9: Long-term Adaptation Strategies of the Individuals in response to Typhoon 69

Figure 10: Pre-Adaptation Strategies of the Individuals in response to Flood 70

Figure 11: During/Post Adaptation Strategies of the Individuals in response to Flood 71

Figure 12: Long-term Adaptation Strategies of the Individuals in response to Flood 72

Figure 13: Pre-Adaptation Strategies of the Individuals in response to Drought 73 Figure 14: During/Post Adaptation of the Individuals in response to Drought 75

Figure 15: Long-term Adaptation Strategies of the Individuals in response to Drought 76

Figure 16: Pre-Adaptation Strategies of the Individuals in response to Landslide 77

Figure 17: During/Post Adaptation Strategies of the Individuals in response to Landslide 78

Figure 18: Long-term Adaptation of the Individuals in response to Landslide 79

APPENDIX A-FIGURES

Figure 1-a: Los Baños Record of Previous Disaster Events

Figure 1-b: Los Baños Record of Previous Disaster Events

Figure 2: Flood Prone Areas Map (Source: LCCAP 2015)

Figure 3: Figure 3: Detailed Landslide Hazard Map of Los Baños (Source:

LCCAP 2015)

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Number of the Selected Respondents per Barangay 35

Table 2: Age Group of the Randomly Chosen Respondents 40

Table 3: Gender of the Randomly Chosen Respondents 41

Table 4: Educational Attainment of the Respondents 41

Table 5: Household Size of the Randomly Chosen Respondents 42

Table 6: Civil Status of the Respondents 43

Table 7: Range of the Monthly Income of the Respondents 44

Table 8: Source of Income of the Respondents 45

Table 9: Summary Table of the Socio-demographic and Socio-economic of the In-depth Respondents 46-47 Table 10a: Perception of the Respondents of What Climate Change is 49

Table 10b: Perception of the Six In-Depth Interviewees towards the Idea of Climate Change 50

Table 10c: Perception of the Three Community Leaders towards Climate Change 51

Table 11: Respondents Who Experienced Typhoon 55

Table 12: Typhoons that Deteriorated Los Baños 55

Table 13: Respondents Who Experienced Flood 56

Table 14: Respondents Who Experienced Drought 57

Table 15: Respondents Who Experienced Landslide 58

Table 16: Period Recovery of the Respondents after Typhoon 84

Table 17: Period Recovery of the Respondents after Flood 85

Table 18: Period Recovery of the Respondents to Drought 86

Table 19: Period Recovery of the Respondents to Landslide 87 Table 20: Correlation Analysis of the Level of Awareness of Socio-demographic

Table 21: Summary table of the Pearson Correlation Analysis of

Socio-demographic and Socio-economic Characteristics of the Respondents that

Influence their Choice of Pre, Post and Long-term Adaptation Strategies for Typhoon 93 Table 22: Summary table of the Pearson Correlation Analysis of Socio-

demographic and Socio-economic Characteristics of the Respondents that

Influence their Choice of Pre, Post and Long-term Adaptation Strategies for Flood 96-97 Table 23: Summary table of the Pearson Correlation Analysis of Socio-

demographic and Socio-economic Characteristics of the Respondents that

Influence their Choice of Pre, Post and Long-term Adaptation Strategies for Drought 102 Table 24: Summary table of the Pearson Correlation Analysis of Socio-

demographic and Socio-economic Characteristics of the Respondents that

Influence their Choice of Pre, Post and Long-term Adaptation Strategies for Landslide 107 Table 25: Summary table of the Result of the Linear Regression Analysis of the Level of Awareness and the Choice of Pre, Post and Long-term Adaptation of the Respondents to

Typhoon 111 Table 26: Summary table of the Result of the Linear Regression Analysis of the Level of Awareness and the Choice of Pre, Post and Long-term Adaptation of the Respondents to Flood 112-113 Table 27: Summary table of the Result of the Linear Regression Analysis of the Level of Awareness and the Choice of Pre, Post and Long-term Adaptation of the Respondents to Drought 114 Table 28: Summary table of the Result of the Linear Regression Analysis of the Level of Awareness and the Choice of Pre, Post and Long-term Adaptation of the Respondents to Landslide 115

Table 29: Correlation of the Level of Awareness and Period of Recovery of the Respondents to Extreme events 118

APPENDIX A-1: TABLES

Table 1-a: In-depth Interviewees who experienced Typhoon

Table 1-b: Communities that experienced Typhoon

Table 2-a: Appendix-A table 2a: In-depth Interviewees who experienced Flood Table 2-b: Communities that experienced Flood

Table 3-a: In-depth Interviewees who experienced Drought

Table 3-b: Community that experienced Drought

Table 4-a: In-depth Interviewees who experienced Landslide

Table 4-b: Communities that experienced Landslide

Table 5: List of the Tropical Cyclone that Crossed the Province of Laguna

(Source: LCCAP)

Table 6: Impacts of Typhoon to the In-depth Interviewees

Table 7: Impact of Flood to the In-depth Interviewees

Table 8: Impacts of Drought to In-depth Interviewees

Table 9: Impacts of Landslide to the In-depth Interviewees

APPENDIX A-2

Table 10-a: Correlation Analysis of the Socio-demographic Socio-economic Characteristics of the Individuals and their Choice of Post Adaptation Strategies towards Typhoon

Table 10-b: Correlation Analysis of the Socio-demographic Socio-economic Characteristics of the Individuals and their Choice of Post Adaptation Strategies

Table 10-c: Correlation Analysis of the Socio-demographic and Socio-economic Characteristics of the Individuals and their Choice of Long-term Adaptation Methods towards Typhoon

Table 11-a: Table 11-a: Correlation Analysis of the Socio-demographic and Socio-economic Characteristics of the Individuals and the Choice of Adaptation Strategies towards Flood

Table 11-b: Correlation Analysis of the Socio-demographic and Socio-economic Characteristics of the Individuals and their Choice of Post Adaptation Strategies towards Flood

Table 11-c: Correlation Analysis of the Socio-demographic and Socio-economic Characteristics of the Individuals and their Choice of Long-term Adaptation Strategies towards Flood

Table 12-a: Table 12-a: Correlation Analysis of the Socio-demographic and Socio-economic Characteristics of the Individuals and their Choice of Pre-Adaptation Strategies towards Drought

Table 12-b: Correlation Analysis of the Socio-demographic and Socio-economic Characteristics of the Individuals and their Choice of Post Adaptation Strategies towards

Table 12-c: Correlation Analysis of the Socio-demographic and Socio-economic Characteristics of the Individuals and their Choice of Long-term Adaptation Strategies towards Drought

Table 13-a: Correlation Analysis of the Socio-demographic and Socio-economic Characteristics of the Individuals and their Choice of Pre-Adaptation Strategies towards Landslide

Table 13-b: Correlation Analysis of the Socio-demographic and Socio-economic Characteristics of the Individuals and their Choice of Post Adaptation Strategies towards Landslide

Table 13-c: Correlation Analysis of the Socio-demographic and Socio-economic Characteristics of the Individuals and their Choice of Long-term Adaptation Strategies towards Landslide

Table 17-c: Coefficient of the Regression Analysis of the Level of Awareness and their Choice of Adaptation towards Landslide

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

CDRI - Climate Disaster Resilience Index

IPCC – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

UNFCCC - United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change

MFR – Makiling Forest Reserve

CLUP – Comprehensive Land Use Plan

LCCAP – Local Climate Change Action Plan

PART I INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

The world is now experiencing different environmental and climatic changes The Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2007) concluded that the warming of the climate system

is unequivocal due to the emissions from the anthropogenic sources Evidences such as increasing temperature, rising of sea-level, melting of glaciers, and frequent occurrences of extreme events in different regions across the globe were observed by experts, and is predictably caused by human influence On the other hand, excessive emission of greenhouse gases due to industrialization, and other man-made actions are some of the reasons behind the fast growing of global temperature in the atmosphere and depletion of ozone layer

Diverse environmental problems are starting to emerge intercontinentally which varies from time to time, undermining environmental sustainability and increasing risks as well as danger to all population in the planet (Recide, 2015) Additionally, there was also a decrease in the quantity and quality of services provided by ecosystems, such as loss of biodiversity in terms of flora and fauna

in different locations and severe effects of disasters are experienced mostly in places prone to tropical cyclones and storms Climate change is really happening which can drive the life on Earth to extremely distressing conditions Billions of people in different regions are predicted to experience limited sources of food and water, as well as increase in health and security risks Global and local

could grow exponentially and reach irreversible level if immediate actions are not taken

Due to limited resources, weak institutional arrangements and economic status, developing countries are mostly affected by the effects of climate change (UN, 2007) The environment, socio-economic and other interconnected sectors involving the coastal zone, terrestrial ecosystem, biodiversity, human health etc may be affected by the adverse impacts of the shifting climate Human activities contribute to the increasing impacts of climate change in various aspects, of which many are unaware of the effects of their actions Practical actions such as tree planting, 3R (Re-use, Reduce, and Recycle), and putting the poor people at the center of the climate change program should be done to ensure that adaptation and other mitigation measures will not sellout the development choices of the poorest These actions serve as the cross-cutting instrument to our goals and climate change However true this may not be our reality

As the situation of the changing climate is getting worse than before, communities are getting more vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate variability and extreme events, including livelihood Establishing the adaptive capacity to climate change is important, for it can help people to cope up from detrimental impacts of climate change Also, it can give assistance on anticipating what might happen in the future and what must be done to address such risks and dangers

Los Baños being vulnerable to flood and landslide, is a big challenge for the whole community Hence, building its resilience to the impacts of climate

change will be hard to establish if people will keep on ignoring the real problem and do their business the same way

Increasing the level of awareness of the household communities towards climate change could be a factor that may strengthen their adaptive capacity In addition, it can help them implement effective adaptation strategies that can address different types of impacts caused by extreme hazards Meanwhile cooperation of both government and households will be needed to enhance the resilience of the community Using well-implemented policies may contribute to improve the well-being of households Thus, focusing first to the development of the level of awareness and adaptation of the households, as well as the local government units can lead to increasing resilience to climate variability and extreme events

1.2 Research Questions

Due to the continuous growth of industrialization and urbanization,

communities find it hard to adapt and establish their resilience to the impacts and effects of climate change Taking practical actions and implementing a well-planned policy for the impacts of climate change are the key to a better future of the inhabitants of the communities and for the environment

This study primarily aims to answer the following questions:

Main question: Does the level of awareness on climate change of

household respondents on selected barangays in Los Baños, Laguna contribute to

performing adaptation strategies that minimize immediate impacts and enhance resilience?

1 What are the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents?

1.1 Location 1.5 Household size

1.2 Age 1.6 Highest educational attainment

1.3 Gender 1.7 Source of Income

1.4 Civil Status 1.8 Monthly Income

2 What is the current level of awareness of the respondents on climate change?

3 Is their relationship among socioeconomic characteristics, level of awareness, and performance of adaptation strategies and period of recover to extreme events?

4 What are the extreme weather events that the respondents are

vulnerable to?

5 What are the recommendations to improve climate change action in Los Baños, Laguna?

1.3 Objectives of the Study

General objective:

This study explores if the level of awareness on climate change of the household respondents in selected barangays in Los Baños, Laguna, contributes

to performing adaptation strategies that minimize immediate impacts and result

in enhancing their resilience

Specific objective:

 To describe the socio-economic characteristics of the household

respondents from the selected barangays in Los Baños, Laguna

 To measure the level of awareness of respondents on climate change

 To assess the vulnerability of the household respondents to different

extreme weather events

 To examine the relationship among socio-economic characteristics, level

of awareness on climate change, performance of adaptation strategies and period

of recovery to extreme weather events

 Recommend strategies to improve climate change action in Los Baños, Laguna

1.4 Significance of the Study

This research study provides ideas and information about the factors that affect the performance of the adaptation strategies of households towards

knowledge on what are the things that must be done to adjust their behaviors This also might help to make a well and informed decision for the implementation of the effective adaptation strategies for it presents the factors that influence the actions of the respondents to make a good adjustment towards the impacts of climatic changes In addition to these, it will help to determine the relationship between the resilience status of a commune, people’s awareness and adaptation and can serve as a reference of information for the other researchers as well as for the readers who are interested in and concerned with the situation of human lives and the environment

The level of awareness of the respondents does not influence their

performance of adaptation strategies

1.6 Scope and Limitation of the Study

The scope or significance of this study is to know whether the awareness and the selection of human practices or adaptation methods of people towards extreme events living in Los Baños, Laguna contribute to the resiliency of one village to the effects climate change

On the other hand, limitations will always be present during the research The limitations that have been encountered were the willingness and honesty of people when it comes to answering the questions written in the survey questionnaire and their willingness to invest a little amount of time just to answer the questions on the survey sheets

1.7 Definition of Terms

The following definition of the words below will provide some help to understand the terminologies included in the study:

Adaptation In human systems, the process of adjustment to actual or

expected climate and its effects, in order to moderate harm or exploit beneficial opportunities In natural systems, the process of adjustment to actual climate and its effects; human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate (IPCC, 2014: ANNEX II: Glossary)

Awareness Knowledge that something exists, or understanding of a

situation or subject at the present time based on information or experience (Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

Climate change A change in the state of the climate that can be identified

(e.g., by using statistical tests) by changes in the mean and/or the variability of its properties and that persists for an extended period, typically decades or longer Climate change may be due to natural internal processes or external forcing, or to

persistent anthropogenic changes in the composition of the atmosphere or in land use (IPCC, 2014: ANNEX II: Glossary)

Extreme weather events An extreme weather event is an event that is rare

at particular place and time of a year (IPCC, 2014: ANNEX II: Glossary)

Hazard The potential occurrence of a natural or human-induced physical

event that may cause loss of life, injury, or other health impacts, as well as damage and loss to property, infrastructure, livelihoods, service provision, and environmental resources (IPCC, 2014: ANNEX II: Glossary)

Resilience The ability of a system and its component parts to anticipate,

absorb, accommodate, or recover from the effects of a hazardous event in a timely and efficient manner, including through ensuring the preservation, restoration, or improvement of its essential basic structures and functions (IPCC, SREX 2012)

PART II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 Climate Change

Climate change through the years is getting worse than we have ever imagined, wherein this large scale global problem can drastically affect the natural habitats and may cause interruption of ecosystem, loss of biodiversity, and also the disruption of human living through the occurrence of drought, typhoons and other natural disasters it could bring (Recide, 2015) A group research study, “What’s in a Name? Global warming Versus Climate change”, by Leiserowitz, Rosenthal and Anderson (2014) stated that the change of the Earth’s climate involving the alteration of temperature, precipitation and wind patterns over a long period of time is what we call climate change

The study conducted by Leiserowitz, Rosenthal and Anderson (2014), was aimed to help people understand that global warming and climate change have different meanings, given that it is being used by many researchers and also to avoid the misuse of these terms when it comes to making reports or research study The conclusion that was based on the data results showed that it strongly suggest that global warming and climate change are used differently and mean different things in the minds of the Americans

In addition to the information of what is climate change, the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2013) stated that vulnerable system and communities are impacted by the global phenomenon called climate change which often expressed in local and regional

shocks and trends On the other hand, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) also confirmed in their reports that excessive emission and industrialization are the main cause of climate change The legal definition of climate change is found in Article 1 and it states that “a change of climate which

is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is an addition to the observed natural climate variability over a long period of time.” Wherein one hundred ninety-four (194) states have agreed

Furthermore, there are evidences that climate change is happening such as global rising of temperature, sea level rise, and frequent occurrence of extreme events As mentioned by IPCC (2013) that the evidences of the warming of climate system seem to be unambiguous for the temperature of the Earth have risen 1.1 degrees Celsius since the late 19th century, and human made emissions were the reason for the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere Also, rising

of sea level rise, was being noticed In fact, scientists have stated that due to the increasing temperature, glaciers are melting which cause the inclination of sea level In addition to these, occurrence of extreme events has been experienced by the inhabitants of Earth in different regions, as the precipitation and temperature patterns in the Earth system are fluctuating from time to time According to IPCC (2013) global temperature will continue to rise because of the greenhouse gases produced by the humans, as many countries are aiming to develop their economy through using rural areas for urbanization and industrialization Moreover, Global Climate Change (2017) reported that different locality in United States

were sustaining changes in rainfall pattern, drought and occurrence intensive tropical cyclones, which means climate change are growing and it becomes a serious threat to human lives as it shows high risk, mostly in human health Prüss-Üstün A., Corvalán C.F (2006) cited by Manera, Chiabai, and Markandya (2012) related that 2.5 million people die every year because of the non-infectious diseases caused by air pollution, weather events, condition of the work place, being exposed to chemicals released from different human activities such

as the waste emitted by the factories Likewise, based on the study conducted by A.J McMichael, D.H Campbell-Lendrum, C.F Corvalán, K.L Ebi, A.K Githeko, J.D Scheraga and A Woodward (2003), good health of human depends

on the functioning and stability of the life-support system, which are the biosphere’s ecological and physical system

2.2 Environmental Changes and Natural Disasters/Hazards

The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (2009) defined natural disaster as “a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society involving widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses or impact which exceed the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources.” Keith Smith emphasized

in his book entitled “Environmental Hazards: Assessing Risk and Reducing Disaster” that when a community is undergoing an exceeding level of disruption and loss, the social phenomena which is also known as disaster, can possibly happen On the other hand, Gilbert White proposed that “instead of attempting to control nature’s extreme events – like floods – people should adapt their behavior

to the uncertainties raised by the magnitude and frequency of physical processes.”

Moreover, environmental change is an immense composition of ideas with

no defined boundaries Based on the report from Intergovernmental Panel on Environmental Changes (IPEC, 2003) global environmental changes are intertwined by the set of processes such as physical, chemical and biological With these, the changes on the environment become a complex dynamic system

Changes in the environment are rising rapidly in many different ways With these, people become more conscious about the combination of the impacts

of climate change and having the knowledge that natural resources in the environment are all limited (Brath, Friesen, Guerard, Lindman, Lockridge, Shriram Mulgund & Betty-Jo Walke, 2015)

The research paper “Climate Change and Resources Sustainability” conducted by Brath, et al (2015), aimed to provide some educational background about the science of climate change, future risks and impacts of the global phenomenon, and ways on how to minimize its effects For the construction of the society’s well-being as a whole, the study also aimed to give guidance to the different public which is being served by CIA (Brath, et al, 2015) As they gathered, evaluated, and analyzed the data on hand, the researchers concluded that the largest emission, which expands the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, was from deforestation and lighting of fossil fuels This brings consequences that are disastrous wherein humanity has no return

According to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), from

1950 to 2010, extreme weather events including heat waves, floods, forest fires, storms, and drought are being expected to be more frequent due to climate change which is driven by the change in temperature Also, IPCC stated that in most of the land surfaces, rising of temperature may occur due to the inflation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which escalates the risk of storms such as cyclones, a wetter monsoon and drought Additionally, the European Parliament who conducted the study entitled “Climate Change and Natural Disasters: Scientific Evidence of a Possible Relation between Recent Natural Disasters and Climate Change” stated that serious outcome may occur due to the unpredictable changes of the climate, which some of it may last for over a longer period of time like disseminating of diseases and rising of sea level and other impacts such as flooding and heavy rain

The study that was conducted by European Parliament aimed to focus and demonstrate that climate is real and to know if human has a contribution to it Another objective is to determine how extreme events are being affected in such changes that is caused by climate change and how it will be developed in the future With the help of instrumental reading, global warming has been measured Different lines of evidences are being collected and showed an illustration of the effects of climate change to extreme weather events Therefore they concluded, even though without considering the human influence, there is a significant evidence that changes in the earth’s climate are happening in different places through the release of greenhouse gases

2.3 Level of awareness and Perception to Climate change of

Communities/Households

Different climatic threats were continually rising and communities, including the households, were expected to become more exposed to environmental changes, though most inhabitants of earth have little knowledge towards the adverse causes and effects of the said phenomenon As mentioned

by Pandve, Chawla, Fernandez, Singru, Khismatrao and Pawar (2011) in their study, assessing the awareness of people in the community towards climate change is necessary in making effective adaptation framework to address the devastating environmental threats Furthermore, as presented to the results of their study conducted in Pune City, India, selected individuals professed that global climate change is happening and claimed that human activities that emit greenhouse gases and deforestation were one of the contributors why shifting of climate were rapidly occurring Addition to these, they think that shifting of climate is the reason behind the water related issues and increasing risk in human health

Moreover, a study conducted by Nzeadibe, Egbule, Chukwuone & Agu (2011) revealed that most of the farmers in Niger Delta, Nigeria have low level

of awareness to climate change, though they perceived the phenomenon as increased incidence of drought, crop failure, pests and disease infestation, high winds and heat waves, change in weather, poor yield, ozone layer depletion, heavy precipitation and excessive sunshine Likewise, Sarkar & Padaria (2010) stated in their research conducted in Sunderban coastal ecosystem of West

Bengal that rather than heavy fog, precipitation, existence of cold waves and cyclones, humans were more informed that climate change is about the rising of temperature in the atmosphere, decreasing production in agriculture, as well as in livestock, spreading of disease and the ascending of the water level in the sea

In relevance to these, when it comes to dealing with climate change and other interconnected problems, people must have necessary background, as well

as public awareness and knowledge of what is climate change and its impacts (Al Buloshi & Ramadan, 2015) However, the result of their study concluded that even the respondents have limited knowledge towards climate change, they may still have high level of awareness

In relation to this, there are factors that affects the perception of people towards the environmental issues, including the effects and impacts it may produce Sawon Istiak Anik & Mohammed Abu Sayed Arfin Khan (2011) cited from Tanner et.al (2009) and Warrick (2009) that age, gender, education, occupation and specific location largely contribute to the risk perception of individuals about the climate issue Additionally, Al Buloshi and Ramadan (2015) revealed that years of education, gender and income have significant relationship to the level of awareness of individuals towards the changing climate Moreover, Sherwood and Bentley (2009) as cited by Anik and Khan (2011) professed that cases of observations influence the local knowledge to climate change Along with these, Elrick-Barr, Smith, Thomsen and Preston (2015) cited from (Anderson-Berry, 2003; Lindell and Hwang, 2008; Kellens et

influence the variation of risk perception of a community Furthermore, Barr et.al (2015) included that household characteristics and geographical location were identified as the factors that affects the household risk perception and behavior towards the environmental problems Likewise, a study conducted

Elrick-by Idrisa, Ogunbameru, Ibrahim and Bawa (2012) stated that extension of education must strengthened to boost the awareness of people towards global climate change and give them help to prepare adaptation methods that promotes adaptation to farmers

On the other hand, climate change perception seems to contribute to increasing the adaptive capacity of the community, mainly the households According to Ambo (2011) as cited by Egbe, Yaro, Okon, and Bisong (2014) that the way of putting into actions the knowledge towards climate change or variability can help determine the adaptive level of a community or of households In addition, Elrick-Barr (2015) also mentioned in their research study as cited from (Slovic, 1987; Lindell and Hwang, 2008) that considering the perception of the households and their priorities, either climate risk-related or not, will help in implementing effective policies in response to extreme hazards, for knowledge serves as shaper of inhabitant’s behavior and management strategy

2.4 Vulnerability of Different Communities in the Philippines to Climatic Changes

Communities were noticed to be vulnerable to the impact of climate

change mainly to extreme weather events Vulnerability in climate change is the

function of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity On the other hand, IPCC (2001) define vulnerability as “the degree to which a system is susceptible to, or unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change, including climate variability and extremes

Exposure is the degree in which a system is exposed to climatic variations (McCarthy et al 2001) Sensitivity, according to IPCC 2001 (TAR) is “the

degree to which a system is affected, either adversely of beneficially by related stimuli The effect may be direct or indirect”

climate-In addition, adaptive capacity is the ability of a system to adjust to climate

change to moderate potential damages, to take advantage of opportunity or to cope with consequences, (IPCC, 2001) The factors that contribute to capability

of a system to cope up such as knowledge, management skills and wealth

Due to the lucid evidences of the effects of climate change, the economic and social progress of the country are being affected extensively up to the critical points (Abonete, 2012)

The study by Abonete (2012) which was conducted at Duero in Bohol, Philippines aimed to assess the vulnerability of the people in the Eskaya community to climate changes The result showed that the community’s low adaptive capacity and the cause of high vulnerability to the impact of climatic change are from the livelihood and social networks of the community In addition, the researcher stated that one of the most sensitive components to

services of the farmer’s households In conclusion, the livelihood assessment shows that the vulnerability of the community of Eskaya in Taytay, Duero in Bohol is not just because of the current exposure to the different rainfall pattern but also due to the socio-economic status of the household within the community,

as the sensitivity and adaptive capacity were determined by the socio-economic characteristics

Considering the devastating impacts of climate change to the natural and man-made environment across different sectors and regions, practical actions must be established to lessen the harmful effects of the environmental changes, mostly to the communities that are very vulnerable due to poor implementation

of adaptation and mitigation strategies (Sumalde, Ancog, and Rebancos, 2015)

This research study conducted by Sumalde, Ancog and Rebancos (2015)

in Mindoro Island, Philippines focused to compare and determine the vulnerability of the selected indigenous communities in the Philippines, mostly

on the Alangan Mangyan, to the environmental changes caused by the changing

climate As a result, the researchers/authors stated that the households of the Indigenous communities that are considered as homogenous may alter the level

of vulnerability Addition to this, they stated that the differences in the economic and biophysical attributes could be interrelated to the differentiation of the vulnerability of the households of a community to another In conclusion, the researchers signify that indigenous people will not become vulnerable if there is

socio-no climate change

In addition to the studies above, J Pulhin, Peras, Cruz, Lasco, F Pulhin, and Tapia (2006) stated that land areas which lies within critical watersheds are among to those community areas that are adversely affected by climate change

This study conducted by J Pulhin et al (2006) in Pantabangan–Carranglan Watershed in northern Philippines aimed to assess the vulnerability of the community to climate variability and extremes and to give enough information to help on minimizing its impacts Considering the geographic location of the Pantabangan-Carranglan Watershed, all the communities living within the area become more vulnerable due to climatic changes, extremes and other natural calamities The degree of vulnerability of the communities to climate variability and extremes depend on their standard of living, wherein the result shows that the most vulnerable community are those who are economically disadvantaged Thus, the socioeconomic groups become vulnerable based on their access to the production resources and other assets, as well as, it depends on the effectiveness of the adaptation and mitigation strategies they implemented and the practices they will continue to establish

2.5 Adaptation Measures in Response to Climate Change

According to Deressa et al (2009); Kabubo-Mariara (2008); Mideksa (2009); and Bryan et al (2009) indicated in some studies that the driving factors which influence the people in choosing the specific adaptation methods in Africa and other countries are the socioeconomic, environmental and institutional factors, as well as the economic structure

A study conducted by Coretha Komba and Edwin Muchapondwa (2015), aimed to examine whether the farmers in Tanzania recognize the changing climate, to investigate whether all the farmers can adapt in their agricultural activities and to investigate and study the factors that influence their choices of adaptation methods in coping to climate change They conducted an in-depth interview, using a pre-tested survey questionnaire, which is composed of questions that can answer all the variables Using Heckman’s selection model, multinomial probit model, inverse Mill’s ratio and descriptive statistics for the analysis, the result of the study shows that the adaptation methods the farmer’s usually use are short-season crops, crop resistant to drought, Irrigation, changing plant dates, and plant trees The results also shows that the households with members who have high level of education choose to use the crop-resistant to drought as their adaptation method Addition to these, the income of the people and their accessibility to credit influence their choice of adaptation methods Their study concludes that socioeconomic characteristics of people affects their choices of adaptation method to climate change

Furthermore, due to the continual growth of climate change Adaptations must be well-maintained in human and natural system to preserve the capacity to cope with the adverse effects of the phenomenon

The Fifth Assessment Report of IPCC, defined adaptation as “the process

of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects In human system, adaptation seeks to moderate harm or exploit beneficial opportunities In natural system, human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate and its

effect.” In addition, the IPCC (2014) indicated in their assessment report cited from Burton (1996) that there are so many ways to categorize the range of adaptation options such as structured and physical, social and institutional On the other hand, social adaptation includes educational, informational, and behavioral options which focuses to the generation and implementation of locally driven adaptation strategies As reported by Aakre and Rubbeke, (2010); Birkmann and Teichman, (2010) as cited by IPCC, it is a necessary help to announce the knowledge and understanding about the adaptation options through programs like raising and extension of awareness, outreach, and community meeting Also, the IPCC cited from Adger, (2003); Krasny et al, (2010) and Wolf

et al (2010) that spreading the awareness about climate change can be a help on building the social capital which is faultfinding to the social resilience Lastly, the institutional adaptation category uses the governmental measures, as well as the laws, regulation, governmental policies and programs for the better development, implementation, and to maintain the capacity of the communities

or region to cope up to the effects and impacts of climate change In addition, the IPCC (2014) also stated that one of the important things to cope effectively to the adverse circumstances brought by climate change is the selection and prioritization of adaptation options, because not all adaptation options can be supported due to inadequate local resources, capacities, and authority In creating and strengthening the adaptation planning, different approaches for local adaptation will be a big help to nurture every opportunity Moreover, Shaw et al (2009); Bardsley and Sweeney, (2010); and IAPAD, (2010) mentioned that

through applying geographic information system (GIS) modeling, climate scenarios, ecosystem services, and other scientific research methods the adaptation planning of a community can be strengthened and further developed

In summary, many factors are affecting the construction of the adaptation methods, as well as it needs more knowledge, discipline and cooperation to produce a well-develop adaptation that can help the community to become resilient to climate change

Additionally, Md Nazmul Huda, Muhammad Zakir Hossin, Syed Elahi, Farzana Mahbub (2016) stated that one of the best way, which has potential of mitigating the climate change risk and vulnerabilities, is implementing adaptation actions The result of their research studies revealed that socio-demographic and socio-economic influence the economic, agricultural and emotion-focused adaptation strategies in Bangladesh Moreover, as cited from Anyoha et.al (2013) that climate change adaptation of the farmers in Umuahia south area of Abia state, Nigeria were influenced by their socio-economic factors As for the result of the study, gender, farm size, framing experiences, household size, and accessibility to social organization are significantly related to the selection of their adaptation strategies towards climate circumstances The same with the findings of Nwaiwu et.al (2013), age and income of individuals have significant relationship to their choice of climate change adaptation strategies Along with these, Md Nazmul Huda et.al (2016), stated that education only influences the agricultural adaptation strategies,

Ashik-E-wherein their study claimed that having high formal education show a great tendency of adopting agricultural adaptation methods

Deressa et al (2009), studied the connection between the years of education and climate adaptation strategies Their study resulted, increase of years in education affects the selection of adaptation methods of the farmers to climate change, such as soil conservation and changing of planting dates Furthermore, other example studies, such as Enujeke, E.C and Ofuoku, A.U (2012), who studied the socio-demographic factors that affects the choice of adaptation of farmers to climate change As a result, education, household size, visit to other farmers and attendance to farmers’ meetings have significant influence to their adaptation to the changing climate

2.5 Resilience of households to Climate Change: Focusing on Extreme Events

Resilience is the ability of a system and its component parts to anticipate,

absorb, accommodate or recover from the effects of a potentially hazardous event

in a timely and efficient manner, including through ensuring the preservation, restoration or improvement of its essential basic structure and functions, (IPCC SREX, 2012)

One of the factors that has a critical significance on leading the role of the overall economic development are the urban areas (Israel and Bunao, 2016)

The study conducted by Israel and Bunao (2016) was entitled “Urban Resilience to Natural Disasters among Households, Firms and Communities in

the Philippines” The main objective of this study is to review all the connected researches conducted for the urban resilience in terms of natural disasters among the households, firms and communities in the Philippines and also to discover the gaps of the recent and current researches for the recommendation in the future activities that will be conducted to improve their capacity to adapt to other extreme events One of the studies that is indicated in this compilation of series case researches is Climate and Disasters Resilience Initiative (2010) which used the Climate Disaster Resilience Index (CDRI) to examine the disaster resilience

of Manila As a result, the researcher found that Manila is in good condition due

to the result of the CDRI which is 3.77 out of 5 This means that the city of Manila has a good physical, social and institutional resilience as well as a mid-natural economic resilience On the other hand, the researcher indicated that the factor that makes the cities vulnerable are urban morphology, urban population density, and frequency of flood In short, Manila still needs to improve their delivery of risk information and early warnings, strengthening the resilience of the community through preparing and developing their adaptation measures and make disaster risk management as one of their priorities to avoid the strong impacts of the extreme events and to keep all the inhabitants in the city safe Also, people should not just leave their tasks to the national government because they cannot afford to prevent all the risk that the disasters may bring if all of the people will leave their responsibilities to the government Each of us need to cooperate to maintain the resilience and safety of the community from the occurrence of natural disasters