President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has directed a whole-of-government approach to address the impacts of climate change on the Philippines, Malacañang said Thursday.

The directive came as Marcos stressed the urgency of implementing mitigation and adaptation strategies amid the significant risks climate change poses to businesses, communities, infrastructure and ecosystems, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in a press briefing.

As a tropical archipelagic country, the Philippines is expected to continue experiencing the severe impacts of climate change, including stronger and more frequent tropical, rising sea levels and more intense rainfall, Castro said.

“Kaya ang utos ng Pangulo, ipagtupad ang polisya para sa pagtugon ng climate change (That’s why the President ordered the implementation of policies addressing climate change),” she said.

Castro said failure to properly address climate change could have far-reaching consequences for the country’s food supply, agricultural production, prices of basic commodities, inflation, public debt and public health.

She cited the potential increase in climate-related health threats, including leptospirosis and dengue.

All government agencies, led by the Climate Change Commission (CCC) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, are expected to intensify efforts to fulfill their respective mandates and strengthen the country’s response to climate change, according to Castro.

The Vice Mayors League of the Philippines is also working with the national government to accelerate climate action, she added.

“Tuluy-tuloy ang paghahanda ng bansa na harapin ang mas mainit na klima at tugunan ang mga epekto nito. Kasabay nito, isinasagawa ang mga hakbang upang pigilan ang mabilis na pagtaas at kalaunan ay bawasan ang greenhouse gas emissions ng bansa (The country continues to prepare to face a warmer climate and address its impacts. At the same time, measures are being undertaken to curb the rapid increase and eventually reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions),” Castro said.

“Sa pamamagitan ng estratehiyang nito sa mabilis na pagbabago ng klima, layunin din ng pamahalaan na ilatag ang pundasyon ng isang matatag at inklusibong ekonomiya na mapapakinabangan ng kasalukuyan at hinaharap ng mga henerasyon (Through its strategy to address rapidly changing climate conditions, the government also aims to lay the foundation for a resilient and inclusive economy that will benefit present and future generations),” she added.

The CCC earlier said the Philippines, one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, needs an estimated USD72 billion, or about PHP4.2 trillion, from 2020 to 2030 to meet its Nationally Determined Contributions climate mitigation targets in key sectors, including energy, transport and agriculture.

In July, the CCC announced that the Philippines had secured a USD6.78 million, or about PHP418 million, technical assistance grant from the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

The grant, approved under the GCF’s second replenishment period, makes the Philippines the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to receive the specialized readiness support, according to the CCC. (PNA)