AUSTRALIA is providing an additional P123 million to help the Philippines mainstream climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction into national policies and bring them down to the community level.
Australian Ambassador Rod Smith said the additional assistance from the Australian Government Aid Program (AUSAID) will help local governments implement land use plans, provide technical assistance to the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) to improve the quality of its geo-hazard maps and geospatial information and to support international NGO Oxfam to ensure good community practice and knowledge on disaster risk reduction especially in high-risk areas.
This is on top of the P304.5 million the Australian government has contributed since 2006 to fund a portfolio of projects related to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction on the request of the Philippine government.
The projects ranged from technical assistance to capacity building projects on disaster risk reduction; climate forecasting, forestry, water and land resource management; and community-driven environmental protection activities.
The new initiatives were launched Thursday at the 13th Asia Pacific Forum hosted by the Australian Embassy that brought together representatives from concerned government agencies, the academe, business, nongovernmental organizations and financial institutions.
Smith said: “While disasters cannot be avoided, we can significantly reduce the exposure and vulnerability of our people by increasing their knowledge and understanding of natural hazards…so that physical infrastructure and communities are protected from, and less exposed to disasters such as landslides, floods and sea level rises that may be a consequence of climate change.”
Dr. Roger Jones, a reputable Australian climatologist from the Victoria University Center for Strategic Economic Studies, told the forum that while identifying the risk is the best way to manage climate change uncertainty, “the types of uncertainty posed by climate change are not well understood within the scientific community and by decision makers.”
“Improvements in adaptive capacity and system resilience are the best way to manage that uncertainty,” he said.
The Australian government will work with the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), among other agencies, on the new projects.–Tessa Jamandre