The Paris Agreement is a historic document, a true triumph of international cooperation and diplomacy.
Ondoy, a wake-up call The environmental field was not something I was considering of pursuing when I was in college.
It was my first glimpse of what climate change could do to my country, but more than that, it was a wake-up call that rang long and loud, demanding for something to be done.
A matter of survival The Philippines is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world.
Our strong typhoons are deadly manifestations of that vulnerability, but there are other climate change effects that have started to impact our country’s development, and will continue to as global temperatures increase: droughts and water scarcity will mean a decline in food productivity; sea level rise will bring about the dislocation of communities; and extreme weather events will exacerbate human health problems, as well as create new ones.
Climate change is a matter of survival for the Philippines, and the Paris Agreement is its lifeline.
Businesses are not only investing in renewable energy, but are divesting their assets from fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal.
In support of the Paris Agreement Aside from that, states and cities are actively defying Trump on the Paris Agreement.
This outpouring of support can only be good for a climate-vulnerable country like the Philippines.
So while the US exit from the Paris Agreement is disappointing, it does not doom climate action.