Mainstreaming Climate Change in the Philippines

The Philippines, as an archipelagic and developing country, is very vulnerable to climate change. Current efforts to address the impacts of climate change exist but may be insufficient. We tried to assess how far climate change has been mainstreamed into key development plans and programs such as the Medium Term Development Plan. Interviews with key informants were also conducted. Results show that climate change has not been mainstreamed in the Philippines. All the major development plans and policies reviewed did not contain any reference to climate change adaptation. The results of interviews with key stakeholders show similar trend. The reasons that hinder climate change mainstreaming are: 1.) national priorities are biased towards more pressing concerns and 2.) pervasive lack of awareness on the impacts of climate change to sustainable development. However, there are massive investments on infrastructure projects designed to adapt to climate-related hazards. These projects could provide an entry point in integrating climate change adaptation into national programs and policies.