The award-winning documentary “Mga Kwento ng Klima” was streamed to around 50 senior high school and college students during a docu-discussion event organized by ClimateScience Community PH (CSCPH) in partnership with the Oscar M. Lopez Center last August 28, 2021. The “Pagsuri at Pagtanaw sa Mga Kwento ng Klima” watch party aimed to raise awareness on the effects of climate change in the Philippines and encourage the youth to come up with actionable solutions.

A co-production of the OML Center and ABS-CBN DocuCentral, “Mga Kwento ng Klima” tells the story of climate in the context of the Filipino experience, baring the susceptibility of communities to disruptive changes experienced globally. 

Ms. Rochelle Bata, ClimateScience Asia coordinator, and Ms. Jasmine De Leon, ClimateScience Community PH national coordinator, shared the initiatives of ClimateScience, an international volunteer youth-led non-profit registered in the UK, with communities in 26 countries. CSCPH is the local chapter of ClimateScience.

Ms. Perpilili Tiongson, associate director of the OML Center, provided an overview of the Center and its work, discussing endeavors to make climate information available and understandable to the public with the help of partners such as the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) and the Climate Change Commission (CCC). (A list of the reports and knowledge products cited by Ms. Tiongson appears below.) Ms. Tiongson also shared the efforts of the Center to highlight the youth’s role in increasing awareness and understanding of the impacts of climate change via the Klima Film Festival, which was launched last year in collaboration with CCC.

After the streaming of the documentary, Dr. Rodel Lasco, executive director of the Center, answered questions from the participants who wanted to know about the common misconceptions about climate change and what they can do to help strengthen resilience. He urged the youth to “think globally and act locally” adding that action, whether big or small, will have an impact on the planet. “We should begin where we are, in our area of influence, wherever we may be,” Dr. Lasco added.

Participants were later divided into breakout rooms to discuss potential solutions for various sectors affected by climate change. Proposed solutions were discussed during the plenary session.

To learn more about “Mga Kwento ng Klima” or if you are interested in mounting a watch party for your organization or school, visit the OML Center website.

For more information on ClimateScience Community PH, visit their Facebook page. You can also visit ClimateScience’s website. 

You might also be interested in the 10 short films on climate change crafted by the Filipino youth for the 2020 Klima Film Festival. Visit the KFF page on our website to know more. 

The CCC and the OML Center are also inviting the youth to the Kaalamang Klima, a knowledge session designed to deepen the understanding and appreciation of climate science and climate impacts on September 22, 2021. This webinar session also sets the stage for the second edition of Klima Film Festival this year. Register here.

The OML Center’s knowledge products cited by Ms. Tiongson 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.