The Department of Social Development Services (DSDS) of the University of the Philippines Los Banos’ (UPLB) College of Human Ecology and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) held the Science and Art of Climate Action: A Co-creative process last April 14, 2021. Dr. Rodel Lasco, executive director of the OML Center, and Jerome Pineda and Karis Aguilar of Aquarian Eye Media, top prize winners in the first Klima Film Festival, were among the featured panelists.  

The webinar is part of the global series “Solve Climate by 2030”, a coordinated climate education initiative spearheaded by Bard College’s Center for Environmental Policy. Partner universities, including UPLB, have been hosting regional webinars featuring local issues and action around climate solutions.

Dr. Lasco discussed the Center’s endeavors to make climate information available and understandable to the public. He underscored that the Center’s key partnerships with the Climate Change Commission, (CCC), the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) have helped ensure the production of insightful research reports and knowledge products with actionable advice. (A list of the reports and knowledge products cited by Dr. Lasco appears below.)  Dr. Lasco also provided a sneak peek of the Center’s Project Upturn, an online solutions platform currently under development  that identifies, assesses, and prioritizes climate change adaptation solutions based on localized risk and climate impacts.

He also highlighted the need for more innovative and creative strategies to engage different sectors in climate action, such as the  Center’s foray into film. “Mga Kwento ng Klima”, which the Center co-produced with ABS-CBN DocuCentral, is an award-winning documentary chronicling the story of the changing climate as experienced by Filipinos. The Klima Film Festival launched in 2020, in partnership with the CCC, is a film-making competition for the Filipino youth aimed to mainstream the effects of climate change through compelling storytelling.

Towards the end of the webinar, the animated film “Our World”, was streamed. Filmmakers Jerome Pineda and Kelvin Aguilar shared how the KFF competition provided a platform for the youth to be part of efforts to surface climate narratives. Aguilar and Pineda shared that the youth sector, which is often seen as a recipient of policies, should be invited to the table to talk about ideas for solutions. The young filmmakers underscored that the youth is a powerful sector in addressing pressing societal issues and that they must be tapped and empowered. 

Aside from Dr. Lasco, other panelists included visual artist Gabriela Krista Kiri Dalena, photojournalist Vicente Jaime Villafranca and The Climate Reality Project Philippines Country Manager Nazrin Camille Castro, who shared how various tools such as photos, films, and writing can be utilized in mobilizing for climate action.

The webinar was held in partnership with the OML Center, The Climate Reality Project Philippines, UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the UP Office of International Linkages, and Rex Publishing.

The livestream recording of the webinar is available via the Facebook page of the Department of Social Development Services of the College of Human Ecology in UPLB. 

The OML Center’s knowledge products cited by Dr. Lasco include:

State of the Philippine Climate (SPC)

In partnership with PAGASA, the Center produces this series which provides a summary of observations of the country’s climate and climate-related disasters on an annual basis.

Editions of the SPC are available for download here.

Philippine Climate Change Assessment Reports (PhilCCA)

With the CCC, the Center publishes the PhilCCA Reports, which contain comprehensive information on climate change science in the Philippines. The PhilCCA has three volumes, namely Working Group 1: The Physical Science Basis, Working Group 2: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, and Working Group 3: Mitigation of Climate Change.

The PhilCCA Reports are available for download here.

The Philippine Climate Almanac

The first of its kind in the country, the Philippine Climate Almanac highlights record-breaking and other significant statistics of climate-related variables, extreme events, and disasters across seven decades through data visualizations designed to appeal to  audiences outside the scientific and academic communities.

The Philippine Climate Almanac is available for download here.

More information on “Mga Kwento ng Klima” and the Klima Film Festival, including links to films, are also available on the Our Work page of the OML Center website.