For the second year in a row, the Climate Change Commission (CCC), in partnership with the OML Center, held the Kaalamang Klima Climate Change webinar-workshop for the youth last September 22, 2021. The virtual webinar-workshop aimed to deepen the understanding and appreciation of the youth on climate science and climate impacts and set the stage for the second edition of the Klima Film Festival. 

More than 400 youth participants via Zoom and Facebook Live were welcomed by Deputy Speaker and Antique Representative Loren Legarda, National Youth Commission Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer Ryan Enriquez, and CCC Commissioner Rachel Anne Herrera, who highlighted the urgency to responsibly manage the environment and the potential of the youth sector in forwarding meaningful change.

The webinar featured discussions on the basics and science of climate change from Dr. Rodel Lasco, executive director of the OML Center; Dr. Emma E. Porio, Project Leader and Principal Investigator of Coastal Cities at Risk: Investing in Climate and Disaster Resilience (CCARPH), Ateneo de Manila University; and Dr. Noralene Uy, member of the experts pool of the National Resilience Council and Researcher and International Recovery Platform Secretariat. The experts also highlighted the role the youth can play in addressing climate change.

In providing an overview of the basics of climate change, Dr. Lasco echoed the role of human activities in the changing climate as recently reported by the International Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), adding that the youth are “in the forefront of addressing the challenge of climate change”.

Discussing “Climate Change and the City: An Intersectional Approach to Vulnerability, Adaptation and Resilience,” Dr. Porio noted that the Asia-Pacific region is a vulnerable but also a dynamic region. “There’s rising prosperity and also widening inequality, so we must contribute to constructing a resilient and sustainable future wherein everyone can claim their own space to be safe, to create, and to produce.”

Dr. Uy, who tackled the basics of climate action, highlighted the importance of climate literacy. “You can do “action”, but first and foremost, be a climate-literate person by joining a forum like this and understand the essential principle of the Earth’s climate system as well as climate and disaster risks.”

The webinar-workshop also featured testimonials on climate action from Ms. Lea Guerrero, country director of Greenpeace Philippines, and Mr. Julio Galvez Tan, executive director of the Center for Empowerment and Resource Development. Both stressed the importance of action, and challenged the youth to make consequential contributions in efforts to adapt to climate change. 

The Klima Film Festival is part of the OML Center’s Balangay Project which aims to chronicle the stories of climate change in the context of the Filipino experience and how it has shaped the Filipino identity and culture. 

Watch a video recording of the webinar via our Facebook page. 

You may also visit the Klima Film Festival page on our website to know more about the competition and if you are interested in organizing a watch party for your organization, school, or community.