DENR holds programs raising awareness on Climate Change

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will run a series of activities helping Philippine communities build resilience against climate change.

Director of DENR’s Climate Change Service (CCS) Elenida Basug said that DENR offices all over the country will disseminate public information about climate change. Local communities will also be taught resilience-building measures.

Other activities that will be held this November include tree planting, environmental cleanups, and airing of videos on climate change.

Importance of being resilient to climate change

The Philippines is one of the countries in the world most vulnerable to climate change. It is for this reason that Basug emphasizes how resilience-building is necessary for the country.

According to the United Nations (UN) Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, resilience is the “ability of a system, community, or society exposed to hazards to resist, absorb, accommodate, adapt to, transform, and recover from the effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner, including through the preservation and restoration of its essential basic structures and functions through risk management.”

DENR’s programs for community engagement this year will create an opportunity to educate the public and achieve resilience to climate change. Moreover, DENR aligned these programs with the country’s celebration of the annual Global Warming and Climate Change Consciousness Week (GWCCCW).

Proclamation 1667 series of 2008 declares November 19 to 25 of every year as GWCCCW. Government entities are encouraged to conduct related activities during this time.

via Philippine News Agency / Catherine Teves