Mainstreaming adaptation in developing countries: The case of the Philippines

Issue Date

1-2009

Abstract

The Philippines, as an archipelago and a developing country, is very vulnerable to climate change. Current efforts to address the impacts of climate change exist but may not be sufficient. The first part of this paper reviews current knowledge on mainstreaming climate change adaptation into development. It then assesses how far climate change has been mainstreamed into key development plans and programmes in the Philippines. Interviews with key informants were also conducted. The results show that there is no mainstreaming in the Philippines. All the major development plans and policies reviewed did not contain any reference to climate change adaptation. Interviews with key stakeholders reveal a similar trend. The main reason preventing mainstreaming are that national priorities are biased towards concerns deemed more pressing, and that there is a pervasive lack of awareness about the impacts of climate change on sustainable development. However, there are massive investments in infrastructure projects designed to adapt to weather-related hazards. Projects such as these could provide an entry point for integrating climate change adaptation into development plans and policy in the Philippines. © 2009 Earthscan.

Source or Periodical Title

Climate and Development

ISSN

1756-5529

Volume

1

Issue

2

Page

130-146

Document Type

Article

Physical Description

tables, graphs

Language

English

Subject

Adaptation, Climate change, Development, Mainstreaming, Philippines

Identifier

doi:10.3763/cdev.2009.0009.

Digital Copy

yes

Link to Full Text

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