Expert pushes subsidized climate change actions

ANTONIO La Viña, associate director for climate policy and head of the Klima Center of the Manila Observatory, said the Philippine government, as well as first-world countries that greatly contribute to the large emissions of greenhouse gases, should shoulder the expenses of climate adaptation strategies.

”The government should be subsidizing all of these adaptation strategies. And it shouldn’t just be our government; wealthy nations should do so as well. After all, they are the primary reason why we have climate change,” La Viña said in Filipino in an interview.

​He lamented that smaller countries like the Philippines bear the brunt of a crisis they had little to no contribution to.

​La Viña said the agricultural sector should adapt to extreme weather patterns to sustain food insecurity.

​”The strategy is called adaptation. Farmers need to be taught new farming methods. New crops need to be introduced — crops that don’t drown, ones that will still bear fruit even when submerged in water,” La Viña said.

​He said governments should pursue a nature-based solution, specifically integrated water management.

​”What should we do when there is an excess of water? Conserve it, right? And what do we do when we lack water? We utilize the surplus from the times when there was an abundance. All we have to do is manage the water,” La Viña said.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration earlier said that El Niño is set to bring record-breaking temperatures as it strengthens from late 2026 to early 2027.

​International treaties like the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement state that national governments and wealthy, high-polluting nations are legally and morally obligated to help fund climate adaptation efforts.