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By Ma. Margarita Z. Sandejas, Contributor
THE Philippines is listed among 46 countries
most vulnerable to armed conflict that is likely to arise from
climate change.
Conflict dynamics conceived through
centuries-old research and experience reveal that climate change may
lead to violent conflict especially in underdeveloped countries.
This topic was discussed in a recent lecture
“Climate Change and Conflict : Peace-building and Development
Strategies” at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Policy
Center, as part of its Globalization Lecture Series in cooperation
with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.
Extreme weather events that cause droughts,
floods, infertile land, drastic changes to crop seasons and output,
rising of sea levels, famine, and widespread disease and pestilence
are not uncommon in the Philippines, said former Bukidnon
Representative, Dr. Nereus Acosta.
The said physical effects will have serious
socio-political implications such as aggravated social tension,
livelihood and food insecurity, trade deficiencies and sharp
declines in human health, he added.
Karen Rebecca Tañada, executive director of the
Gaston Z. Ortigas Peace Institute, said some areas of armed conflict
are typically those that have long been plagued by adverse weather.
These areas now have to deal with unusual flooding, landslides and
storm surges, which are largely attributable to environmental
degradation.
Tañada is also co-convenor of the Mindanao
Solidarity Network and board member of the NGOs (non-government
organizations) for Integrated Protected Areas.
Logging, mining and illegal fishing have
contributed to aggravated environmental degradation and its
resulting conflict—division among communities and tribes, she
emphasized.
“Among the major effects of environmental
disasters are incidents of killings of soldiers allegedly on relief
mission, continued armed conflicts and extrajudicial killings of
left-associated persons in affected areas,” she said.
Politics of resentment
Professor Ed Garcia, senior policy advisor of
the London-based NGO, International Alert, noted that increases in
poverty, economic inequality and migration related to climate change
have a huge impact that tends to fuel the politics of resentment
“between those most responsible for climate change and those most
affected by it,” which can result to violent conflict.
“While climate change is best viewed as a
‘threat multiplier’ which exacerbates existing trends, tensions
and instability—the core challenge is that it threatens to
overburden states and regions which are already fragile and
conflict-prone,” he asserted.
As an underdeveloped country, the Philippines
faces a high risk of violent conflict created by climate change
interacting with persistent economic, social and political concerns.
But the country also prides itself in its “adaptive capacity,”
Garcia emphasized.
However, the country’s capacity for adaptation
is constrained by several factors: poor resource bases; inequalities
of income; weak institutions and limited technology, as mentioned in
the publication of the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change.
Garcia also said violent conflict driven by
competition for scarce resources including oil, energy and food can
be resolved not only by mitigation, but more so, by adaptation.
“I think it may sometimes be too late for
mitigation—although mitigation is important, our country’s
priority must be on long-term strategic responses like adaptation,
while also respecting mitigation measures,” he explained.
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