MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos are worried about the “serious harm” severe weather changes bring, the 2021 World Risk Poll by the Lloyd Register Foundation showed.
“For residents of the Philippines, the latest World Risk Poll shows that they live in fear of the devastating effects of climate change,” said Sarah Cumbers, director of evidence and insight at the foundation, which is an independent global charity focused on research work and education in the fields of science and engineering.
Related Stories
Its latest study showed that 67% of its Filipino respondents are worried about the effects of severe weather changes. This is 33% higher than the global average.
Only eight percent said they are not worried, while 25% are somewhat worried.
Meanwhile, over half or 62% of the respondents know someone who was already harmed by the effects of severe weather changes.
“This is not surprising, given the frequency of climate-related incidents which take place in the country, however, the results should not be ignored,” Cumbers said.
The poll also showed that a majority or 69.5% of the Filipino respondents believe that they believe climate change is a “very serious threat” to the country. The Philippines experiences an average 20 storms every year.
It has been ranked among the most vulnerable nations to the impacts of climate change.
Just last year, Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) affected over 2.272 million families and over 7.846 million individuals across 38 provinces. The typhoon left 405 people dead, 52 missing, and 1,371 individuals are injured.
The United Nations recently estimated that over 3,000 individuals from Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Mimaropa, and Caraga remain displaced. Its Humanitarian Country Team in the Philippines recently launched a revised Humanitarian Needs and Priorities to assist those affected by the typhoon through the UN programs and those of over 200 groups/
However, out of the $169 million needed for the HNP, only 46% have been funded so far.
Meanwhile, aside from the severe weather changes, the Lloyd Register Foundation’s respondents are also most worried about road or traffic accidents, violent crime, and their mental health.