The Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries to the climate crisis, and one of the most dangerous countries for land defenders and environmental activists. Despite these facts, Filipinos continue to face ignorance towards a comprehensive, national understanding of the climate crisis’ detrimental effects, as well as the risks faced when fighting for environmental and climate justice. Much less, scientific and concrete ways to adapt to these impacts and to include the voices of our environmental defenders when creating policies. Often, the experiences of defenders, especially women and youth, are belittled, ignored and not meaningfully included in creating policies.
The social and political landscape of the Philippines adds to the crisis character. A majority of the population depends on farming for their livelihood, but most farmers and farm workers do not own the land they till. Instead, they must pay high rent to landlords in order to till the land. In addition, they face low farmgate prices, usury when renting necessary equipment, and lowering of market prices due to an influx of imported produce. These conditions make crop losses due to climate impacts (be they typhoons or drought) much more difficult for farmers to overcome.
The specter of neocolonialism and imperialism also hangs heavy over the Philippines, specifically that of the United States of America. Unequal trade agreements prioritize U.S. interests and allow majority foreign ownership of important industries such as mines and factories. The export-oriented, import-dependent nature of production in the country allows foreign markets unfiltered access to the country’s natural resources, and at the same time, stifles the country’s ability to develop and industrialize. In recent years, the U.S. military has been increasing its presence in the Philippines, warmly welcomed by the Philippine government. Not only does this threaten the country’s national sovereignty, but the increased number of troops and military bases drains the country’s resources away from its citizens and toward supporting its former colonizer. The U.S. military also provides financial, material, and technical support to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, giving the Armed Forced of the Philippines (AFP) further ability to militarize rural communities.
These local contexts greatly inform the actions of Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines, and the creation of this report, which aims to outline the current state of the climate justice movement in the Philippines.
The creation of this national report is the compilation of the efforts made by YACAP of the past two years to encompass the situation of the Filipino people regarding the goal of climate justice and may not contain the entirety of information regarding the topic. YACAP, as an alliance, hopes that this can serve as a document to strengthen campaigns and a reference for the climate movement in the Philippines.
Download the full report here:
Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines 