The OML Center tackles the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C in the 1st Workshop on DENR’s Policies and Programs

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The OML Center tackles the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C in the 1st Workshop on DENR’s Policies and Programs

 

On July 30, 2019, the Oscar M. Lopez Center for Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management Foundation Inc. (OML Center), in collaboration with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), organized the first of a series of workshops for the project entitled “Study on the Implications of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C to the DENR’s Plans and Programs”.

The IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C discussed the irreversible dangers associated with a 1.5°C increase in global temperature. It highlighted the importance of climate-responsive policies to sustainable development, especially for countries like the Philippines that are rendered most vulnerable to climate change.

Dr. Rodel Lasco, OML Center Executive Director, introduced the Center’s project that aims to strengthen DENR’s plans and programs. The project, funded by the German government and managed by UNDP, is a 4-month initiative that hopes to assess the implications of the IPCC 1.5 Special Report towards developing short- and long-term policy recommendations.

Director Elenida Basug of the DENR Climate Change Service delivered the workshop’s opening remarks, followed by a welcome message from Ms. Floradema Eleazar of UNDP. Aside from Dr. Lasco’s presentation, topics such as the Latest Climate Trends and Projections in the Philippines (Rosalina de Guzman, PAGASA), Impacts of Climate Change on Ecosystems (Dr. Rex Cruz, UP Los Baños), Philippine Agriculture Under a Warmer Climate: Challenges (Dr. Victoria Espaldon, UP Los Baños), and Key Programs and Policies (Department of Agriculture and DENR) also took the platform. 

 

 

The major outputs of the workshop include the current and desired state of ecosystems from the participants’ perspective. The workshop also tackled the review of the DENR’s Priority Programs and their relevance to the desired state of ecosystems. A succeeding workshop is anticipated on the first week of September, and is envisioned to capture a more thorough review of the priority plans and programs of DENR.

The workshop was a whole-day event that took place at the Forest Management Bureau-DENR Conference Room. Other participants included delegates from the different bureaus of DENR, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), and the Department of Agriculture (DA).