Journal of Environmental Science and Management 16(1) : 84-97 (June 2013) ISSN 0119-1144 * 2
Climate change, involving both natural climate variability and anthropogenic global warming, has been a major worldwide concern, particularly with the publication of the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Considering the archipelagic nature of the Philippines and its being a very minor emitter of greenhouse gases, adaptation to climate change has been the Government’s national policy. The importance of expediting these climate change-related adaptation measures was highlighted by a string of geo-meteorological- 2009. We present the geologic conditions that rendered the affected areas, especially in northwestern Luzon, extremely vulnerable to the existent hazards, the meteorological conditions that set off the disaster and the different initiatives that the government and local communities have taken to further prepare the people for possible future disasters. Recognition of the pertinent issues and the extant challenges points to the urgent need for mainstreaming both geo-meteorological- related disaster risk management and climate change adaptation measures in the light of changing climate conditions.