Sorsogon City Philippines Cities in Climate Change Initiative
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SORSOGON CITY PHILIPPINES CITIES IN CLIMATE CHANGE INITIATIVE CITY OVERVIEW Sorsogon City lies at the southernmost tip of Luzon, the largest of the 7,100 islands of the Philippine archipelago and is cradled between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea. Of its 64 barangays (lowest level of government) covering 31,292 hectares of land, 37 lie along the sea coast. RISKS AND VULNERABILITIES TO CLIMATE VARIABILITIES AND EXTREMES Sorsogon City is the capital city of Sorsogon Province which is identified as a high risk province relative to combined climate and weather related risks and volcanic eruptions. The city is particularly at high risk to tropical cyclones and storm surges, extreme rainfall/ flooding, increased precipitation, temperature variability and sea level rise. There are 35,621 people or 24% of the city population who will be adversely affected as 9 urban coastal barangays were found to be highly vulnerable to climatic-induced hazards. Settlements are highly at risk given their location, aging and previously damaged structures and linkage systems, and existing drainage facilities. Population: 151,454 (2007) Further, livelihoods of 993 fishermen and 211 small farmers tilling approximately 204 hectares of rice paddies are at risk. Twenty Growth Rate: 1.78% four flood-prone barangays with a population of 55,452 (36.6%) risk being flooded. There is also a current prevalence of red tide History: Created in 2000, through the merger of the in Sorsogon Bay, found to be caused by climate related changes, municipalities of Sorsogon and Bacon. thereby affecting food supply and livelihoods in the city. Economy: Agriculture, Fishing, Trade, and Services The disastrous combination of a general public having limited Governance: Decentralized knowledge on Climate Change related hazards and risks and a city lacking the proper Disaster Risk Reduction equipment, tools and Role in the Province: Administrative, Commercial and facilities makes the poor (43% of city population), who mostly Educational Center populate the most high-risk areas and are inadequately covered with social protection schemes and safety nets, particularly vulnerable. KEY ACTIVITIES PLANNED WITHIN CCCI IN TANDEM WITH THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT- FUNDED MDG FUND ON CLIMATE CHANGE 1. Integrate existing hazard maps of the City Planning and Development Office in the on-going climate change vulnerability and adaptation assessments; 2. Develop knowledge products and document good practices for sharing and cross-fertilization of ideas on mitigation and adaptation strategies; 3. Demonstrate innovative technologies to feed into the national Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council The above map simulates the effects of 3 stages of sea level rise showing the areas that initiatives on building climate-resilient human settlements will be submerged. © Sorsogon City Technical Working Group especially in low-lying urban coastal areas; 4. Develop capacities of the city government particularly in developing a Shelter Plan responsive to climatic-induced hazards including the use of Geographic Information CURRENT CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE AND RESILIENCE System; 5. Advocate awareness on Climate Change among the The city has organized its City Disaster Coordinating Council general public and stakeholders through various media informed by an existing city disaster risk management plan and community activities in partnership with the Bicol (2008-2009) and City Land Use Plan. It also uses hazard University; maps on flooding and land slides sourced from the National 6. Build partnerships among the private, public, academe, civil Government. In particular, the City Agriculture Office society, and neighborhood associations to converge efforts has initiated efforts on livelihood adaptation technologies in climate change mitigation and adaptation. particularly on rice production and fisheries. Improved solid- waste management is also being implemented supported by local legislation. In September 2008, the city formally established its core team and technical working group for Climate Change. In collaboration with the province and neighboring local governments, the city participates in the Sorsogon Bay Management Council. Local government leaders expressed willingness to learn about climate change. The support of the academe, non-government organizations and people’s organizations is a lodestar of strategic partnership responses. Damaged seawalls cannot mitigate the effects of storm surges and typhoons. © UN-HABITAT/Yen Flores THE NATIONAL CONTEXT: PHILIPPINES Although the Philippines is a Non-Annex 1 country under the United Five sectors are considered as the major policy making players on Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and has climate change, namely, (1) housing and urban development, (2) little contribution to the build up of greenhouse gases, it couples energy, (3) environment and natural resources, (4) agriculture adaptation efforts with mitigation measures in recognition that and fishery, and (5) population. Thus far, the energy as well as climate change is a transboundary concern. the environment and natural resources sectors are most active in developing policies on adaptation and mitigation approaches. The Philippine archipelago is a climate hotspot with 88% of its However, the LGUs are acknowledged as the major source of coastal areas facing oceanic waters. Around 19-22 cyclones visit empirical information for policy development and, more importantly, the Philippines yearly. Across the country, sea level has risen by 15 the implementors of policies on the ground. cm. With 1 meter sea level rise, about 700 million square meters of land in 64 out of 81 provinces will be inundated, potentially displacing at least 1.5 million Filipinos. In response to climate change, the government has passed national policies on climate change adaptation and mitigation as a matter of sustainability and commitment of participation to the effort of the global community. Support structures have been sequentially established for policy implementation, i.e., (1) National Disaster Coordinating Council, (2) Inter-Agency Committee on Climate Change, (3) Philippine Council for Sustainable Development, (4) Designated National Authority for Clean Development Mechanisms, (5) Presidential Task Force on Climate Change, and (6) Inter-Agency Advisory Board on Climate Change Monitoring and Communication. A bill to create a Climate Change Commission is pending in Congress. Emerging private sector-led initiatives from business and the academe are becoming strong voice mechanisms A busy street in the built up area of urban Sorsogon City. A 1-meter sea level rise will on climate change issues. submerge most of the city center. © UN-HABITAT/Yen Flores UN-HABITAT’S CITIES IN CLIMATE CHANGE INITIATIVE The Cities in Climate Change Initiative brings together local and national governments, academia, NGOs and international UN-HABITAT launched the Sustainable Urban Development organizations with the aim to alert cities to the action they can Network (SUD-Net), an innovative network of global partners, take and by strengthening capacities of cities and their partners to promoting inter-disciplinary approaches to sustainable urban respond to Climate Change. The key components of the Cities in development. Climate Change Initiative are: • Advocacy, policy dialogue and policy change The Cities in Climate Change Initiative (CCCI) is the flagship • Tool development and tool application programme of SUD-Net. The Initiative aims to strengthen • Piloting climate change mitigation and adaptation the climate change response of cities and local governments. measures Cities are key drivers of climate change due to their high energy • Knowledge management and dissemination, through, consumption, land use, waste generation and other activities that amongst others, the UN-HABITAT partner universities result in the release of the vast majority of Greenhouse Gases. At and the partnership with UN-HABITAT’s Local the same time, it is cities, and in particular the urban poor, in the Government Training Institutes Network. developing world, that are most vulnerable to and have the least resilience against, for example, storms, floods, and droughts. Cities Initially four cities, Esmeraldas in Ecuador, Kampala in Uganda, need to respond to Climate Change by cutting their Greenhouse Maputo in Mozambique and Sorsogon in the Philippines will Gas emissions (mitigation). The negative impact of climate change participate in the Cities in Climate Change Initiative as key partner seems however unavoidable and for most cities in developing cities. At the same time good practices from other cities around the countries adaptation to the risks is a must. world are being promoted. For more information, contact: UN-Habitat Global Division UN-Habitat Fukuoka Urban Environmental Planning Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific Branch ACROS 8F, 1-1-1 Tenjin, Chuo-ku P.O. Box 30030 Fukuoka 810-0001, Japan 00100 Nairobi, Kenya Tel: (81 92) 724 7121 Tel: +254 20 7625405 Fax: (81 92) 724 7124 Fax: +254 20 7623715 www.fukuoka.unhabitat.org Email: [email protected] www.unhabitat.org/sudnet UN-Habitat Philippines 31/F Yuchengco Tower, RCBC Plaza 6819 Ayala Avenue 1229 Makati City, Philippines Tel: (632) 901 0432 Fax: (632) 889 7505 www.unhabitat.org.ph Seawalls protecting vulnerable communities living along the coastlines have been damaged due to strong typhoons that visit the city every year. © UN-HABITAT/Bernhard Barth.