Urban Management Tools for Climate Change Practice: A baseline study for

concrete Policy Directions in the Philippines.

EnP Eleanor Borja-Uboan

License Number: 0000563

EnP Eugenio Santiago III

License Number: 0004705

Outline of Presentation• Introduction

• Methods

• Results

• Discussion

1. Climate Change Act, DRRM Act and Mainstreaming

2. Urban Management Tools for Climate Change

3. Baguio as a Case Study in Urban Mngt Tools for Climate Change

• Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations

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• Body

INTRODUCTION• The enactment of Republic Act No. 9729 otherwise known as “An Act

Mainstreaming Climate Change into government policy formulations establishing the framework strategy and program on climate change” and the practice of Urban Management tools in such area continues to lack concrete policy directions and study. Urban Management Tools for Climate Change has been a course in different countries to address effects of climate change in urban planning. The course offers the opportunity to national and local urban policy makers, municipality officials, planners, and lecturers in the field of climate and environmental management to gain knowledge of cities vulnerability and its linkages with other human factors exacerbating climate stresses, such as land use management and spatial planning decisions. The course showcases varied examples of cities’ strategies to adapt and mitigate climate change, through lectures and discussions, gaming, analysis of data inventories, and group exercises built on decision-making and climate change action planning.

METHODOLOGY• This study uses secondary data from the journals and up to date news

articles in the internet to espouse the connections of RA9729 and the course about Urban Management Tools for Climate Change Course, which could help to make better policies to the actual planning practice. The localize study of this research is the case of Baguio City in the area of Disaster Risk and Reduction Management. Interview with key personnel with the Baguio City Planning Office and some key stakeholders validate the initial findings of related literature on the topic.

RESULTS• Population of Baguio either good or bad effects. The growing

population of visitors and not of the locals may either be a good and bad effect in the condition of the City’s resilience to disasters. The growing popularity of Baguio City as the vacation point for those urban low-lying neighboring communities, due to the ease of going to and fro from make Baguio City made it a hub of commerce and tourism in Northern Philippines, and the original urban plan of Burnham which is to house only residents of the City, but now it must house the travelers both foreign and locals, which is no longer up to date or needs to be revisited, or the other way around to prevent effects of disasters in Baguio City caused by Climate Change is to prevent people to going to Baguio City, which would be detrimental to the urban city of the north’s economic progress.

RESULTS•Baguio as a Case study in the application of Urban

Management Tools for Climate Change. Baguio City as a case study in this field to address the requirements of RA9729 was due to its climate, demographics, socio-cultural, education, social development, environment, public infrastructure and its public services reiterated in its official website, making a center of urban life in the Northern Philippines.

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SALIENT FEATURES OF RA9729• The Act acknowledges the Philippines’ vulnerability to climate change and the

need for appropriate adaptation. It creates a comprehensive framework for systematically integrating the concept of climate change, in synergy with disaster risk reduction, in various phases of policy formulation, development plans, poverty reduction strategies and other development tools and techniques.

• The Act states the main principles of climate change policy: common but differentiated responsibilities; the Precautionary Principle; UNFCCC objectives (GHG mitigation and adaptation), and the Hyogo Framework for Action addressing disaster risk reduction. It adopts a gender-sensitive, pro-children and pro-poor approach.

• The Act establishes the Climate Change Commission as the sole policy-making body within government, which overseas, co-ordinates and evaluates climate change policies and plans. The commission is established under the office of the President (abolishing the Presidential Task Force on Climate Change, established in 2007) and has a diverse advisory board composed of government ministries and agencies.

SALIENT FEATURES OF RA9729• Government offices’ role -Local Government Units. The LGUs shall be the

frontline agencies in the formulation, planning and implementation of climate change action plans in their respective areas, consistent with the provisions of the Local to ensure the effective implementation of the framework strategy and program on climate change, concerned agencies shall perform the following functions:

Barangay shall be directly involved with municipal and city governments in prioritizing climate change issues and in identifying and implementing best practices and other solutions.

Municipal and city governments shall consider climate change adaptation, as one of their regular functions.

Provincial governments shall provide technical assistance, enforcement and information management in support of municipal and city climate change action plans.

SALIENT FEATURES OF RA9729• Government offices’ role -Department of Interior and Local Government and Local

Government Academy

They shall facilitate the development and provision of a training program for LGUs in climate change. The training program shall include socioeconomic, geophysical, policy, and other content necessary to address the prevailing and forecasted conditions and risks of particular LGUs. It shall likewise focus on women and children, especially in the rural areas, since they are the most vulnerable.

Department of Education

They shall oversee the establishment and maintenance of a climate change information management system and network, including on climate change risks, activities and investments, in collaboration with other concerned national government agencies, institutions and LGUs.

SALIENT FEATURES OF RA9729• Government offices’ role -Philippine Information Agency

They shall disseminate information on climate change, local vulnerabilities and risk, relevant laws and protocols and adaptation and mitigation measures; and

• Department of Foreign Affairs

They shall review international agreements related to climate change and make the necessary recommendation for ratification and compliance by the government on matters pertaining thereto

SALIENT FEATURES OF RA9729• Funding allocation of the Implementation of the Law

All relevant government agencies and LGUs shall allocate from their annual appropriations adequate funds for the formulation, development and implementation, including training, capacity building and direct intervention, of their respective climate change programs and plans. It shall also include public awareness campaigns on the effects of climate change and energy-saving solutions to mitigate these effects, and initiatives, through educational and training programs and micro-credit schemes, especially for women in rural areas. In subsequent budget proposals, the concerned offices and units shall appropriate funds for program/project development and implementation including continuing training and education in climate change.

SALIENT FEATURES OF RA10121• A National Disaster Risk Management Plan (NDRMP) is being formulated,

developed, and implemented as the master plan that will provide the strategies, organization, tasks of concerned agencies and local government units, and other guidelines in dealing with disasters or emergencies. Through this plan, a coherent, integrated, efficient, and responsive disaster risk management at all levels will hopefully be achieved.

• The law also promotes the development of capacities in disaster management at the individual, organizational, and institutional levels. A very important feature of this law is its call for the mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction in physical and land-use planning, budget, infrastructure, education, health, environment, housing, and other sectors.

SALIENT FEATURES OF RA10121• The Strategic National Action Plan on Disaster Risk Reduction for 2009-2019 aims to

enhance the capacities of Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils.

• Finally, RA10121 provides for the calamity fund to be used in support of disaster risk reduction or mitigation, prevention, and preparedness activities for the potential occurrence of disasters and not just for response, relief, and rehabilitation efforts.

• The law defines Disaster Risk Management as a comprehensive disaster risk management strategy, actively involving stakeholders at all levels of government as well as the private sector, local communities and civil society, is required to implement the legislative framework and to provide coordination and monitoring mechanisms and arrangements.

• Individual disaster risk reduction actions and programs need to be located within this strategy, rather than treated as discrete, individual measures. Moreover, the strategy needs to indicate specific entry points and mechanisms for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction concerns into both the broader development agenda and the design and implementation of individual development initiatives.

SALIENT FEATURES OF RA10121• RA 10121 also recognizes local risk patterns and trends and decentralization of

resources and responsibilities and thus encourages the participation of NGOs, private sectors, community-based organizations, and community members in disaster management. It inhibits the full participation of the Local Government Units (LGUs) and communities in governance. The approach tends to be “response-oriented” or “reactive.” This is evidenced by the widespread emphasis on post-disaster relief and short-term preparedness, such as forecasting and evacuation, rather than on mitigation and post- disaster support for economic recovery.

• Moreover, the Act mandates the establishment of a Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) in every province, city and municipality, and a Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committee (BDRRMC) in every barangay.

MAINSTREAMING THE LCCAP & DRRMP• The 2009 Climate Change Act and the 2010 National Disaster Risk Reduction and

Management Law provides for the fundamental frameworks for key actions toward improving governance and participation, financing, capacity and development as well as addressing critical hazard challenges, specifically those which are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change.

• The National Climate Change Action Plan and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan have been adopted to define priority areas for interventions toward achieving reduction in climate and disaster risks and adaptation to climate change. At the subnational level, Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plans (LDRRMPs) are prepared to define the local agenda for preparedness, prevention and mitigation, response, and recovery and rehabilitation. The Local Climate Change Action Plans (LCAAPs) defines the local agenda for anticipating potential impacts of climate change to important vulnerable sectors, and local initiatives that will contribute to the global efforts to mitigate atmospheric green house gases levels.

MAINSTREAMING THE LCCAP & DRRMP• These plans recognize the need for a more balanced and systematic approach

that puts forward the importance and value of properly assessing and managing climate and disaster risk before disasters happen. Thus, a lot of effort is now being put into understanding hazards, risks, and vulnerabilities of population, assets and the environment; and in factoring in climate and disaster risk assessment information into national planning, investment and development decisions.

• The convergence of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation are likewise being pursued given their similar goal of sustainable development.

• The Philippines is among the most hazard-prone countries in the world. Millions of individuals are affected annually by disasters caused by natural hazards. Economic losses are high, eroding growth prospects of the country.

MAINSTREAMING THE LCCAP & DRRMP

• The benefit of mainstreaming climate change plans and disaster risk reduction plan in the process, is substantially reducing resources for disaster response and post disaster recovery and rehabilitation. Through the CLUP, risks and vulnerabilities can be assessed in detail at the city/municipal and barangay levels; national and sub-national DRR-CCA strategic priorities can be localized and integrated into the land use plan; development and use of properties, structures, and resources at the parcel level can be regulated through zoning; local governments can identify and implement local legislations to support land use policies related to the reduction of risks and vulnerabilities; and local stakeholders can be engaged to identify socially acceptable policy and program interventions to address DRR-CCA related concerns and issues.

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MAINSTREAMING THE LCCAP & DRRMP

The integration of climate and disaster risks in the CLUP and Zoning Ordinance (ZO) formulation will allow local government units to:

• Better understand natural hazards and climate change and how these would likely alter the development path of the locality;

• Understand risks posed by natural hazards and climate change on exposed areas, sectors and communities by analyzing exposure, vulnerabilities, and adaptive capacities;

• Identify priority decision areas and development challenges posed by climate change and natural hazards;

• Determine realistic projections on demand and supply of land for settlements, production, protection, and infrastructure development given the impacts of climate change and natural hazards, and existing risks and vulnerabilities;

• Incorporate spatial development goals, objectives and targets to reduce risks and vulnerabilities;

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URBAN MANAGEMENT TOOLS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

Urban Management Tools for Climate Change became popular Due to the frequent occurrence of extreme climate events, increasing attention has been placed on the study of such events. Consideration of the climate adaptability of cities has been suggested. This definition of adaptation of the urban climate is the process of adjustment in human systems to the actual or expected climate and its effects to moderate harm or exploit opportunities. This showed that international institutions and governments in many countries have designated climate change problems and strategies of city regions as key areas of global climate change research and have actively promoted “city climate change act planning”

URBAN MANAGEMENT TOOLS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE EXAMPLES

• Waterparks

Climate change leads to more summery and tropical days and more days with extreme rainfall in summer. The average amount of precipitation in an urban area does not differ from that in the surrounding countryside. However, this does not apply to temperatures. It is almost always warmer in the city than in the surrounding areas, which is known as the urban heat island effect (or UHI). The results of the Climate Proof Cities (CPC) program offer more insight into this heat island effect.

Infiltration crates can for instance be used underground, while above ground water can be stored by lowering the ground level locally, such as that of roads and verges, but also lawns and strips of green, so that the excess rainwater can collect there without causing damage or inconvenience. Water squares and water parks (hollows in a park; artificial wetlands) are multifunctional spaces for water storage, recreational activities and nature development that are generally highly rated by inhabitants.

URBAN MANAGEMENT TOOLS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE EXAMPLES

• Roofdeck Gardening

The results of the review show that UPA contributes to ten key societal challenges of urbanization: climate change, food security, biodiversity and ecosystem services, agricultural intensification, resource efficiency, urban renewal and regeneration, land management, public health, social cohesion, and economic growth.

The value of UPA is its multi-functionality in providing social, economic and environmental co-benefits and ecosystem services. When implementing UPA, social, institutional, economic, technical, geographical, and ecological drivers and constraints need to be considered. To upscale UPA successfully, the study develops an integrative assessment framework for evaluating the implementation and impact efficiency of UPA. This framework should be tested based on the example of edible cities.

URBAN MANAGEMENT TOOLS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE EXAMPLES• Vertical Forests/Green Roof Infrastucture

Green roof infrastructure has become a multi-million dollar industry in Germany and is gaining popularity in other European countries as well. Green roof infrastructure is more than just soil and plants on a roof, but consists of specialized membranes and drainage barriers to support the growing of vegetation on top of buildings. Many of the advantages of these technologies, such as the reduction of storm water runoff, the reduction of cooling loads and the reduction of the urban heat island suggested that this technology could play a role in helping cities adapt to climate change.

Vertical gardens could refer to vine-covered walls, but they could also include additional infrastructure components to support the growing of vegetation on a wall or as part of a window shade. Both technologies were assessed using observations and modelling, and both were assessed with regards to the urban heat island and the reduction of indoor temperatures. The reduction of storm water runoff was only evaluated for green roof infrastructure.

Baguio Disasters due to Climate Change• Baguio City is approximately 250 kilometers north of Manila, situated in the

Province of Benguet. The area of the city is 49 square kilometers enclosed in the perimeter of 30 kilometers. The developed portion of the city corresponds to the plateau that rises to an elevation of 1,400 meters. Most of it lies in the northern half of the city. The City is landlocked within the province of Benguet, thus bounding it on all sides by its different municipalities; on the North by the capital town of La Trinidad, on the East by Itogon and to the South and West by Tuba. With City Hall as reference point, it extends 8.2 kilometers from East to West and 7.2 kilometers from North to South. It has a perimeter of 30.98 kilometers. The City has twenty administrative districts among which its barangays are divided. The commonly known disaster caused by climate change in Baguio City is severe rainfall due to Habagat, Storms and Typhoons, causing floods and landslides.

Baguio Disasters due to Climate Change• Baguio City, densely populated and right on the typhoon belt, is most exposed

and vulnerable to extreme weather events compared to other major regional cities in the Philippines, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature-Philippines (WWF). The study found that the most exposed to climate change effects, with rains seen as its number one enemy. Intense storms would result to flooding and landslides, which could cut off Baguio City from economic activities.

• Based on official records, there is not only an increasing trend in the average annual rainfall in the City over the last 20 years but it has also recorded the highest annual rainfall in the country in 1910; highest rainfall in 24 hours in the world in 1911; and another world record for highest rainfall in 48 hours in 1950.

Baguio Disasters due to Climate Change

Baguio Disasters due to Climate Change

Baguio Disasters due to Climate Change

LOCAL DRRMO LEARNED LESSONS• LGU as the first line of defense

• Early warning devise or equipment are vital in saving life

• Without communication support warning and the evacuation fails

• Early warning and evacuation system to attain Zero Casualty

• Pre-positioning of organic resource capability for quick response

• Building-back better not building-back-elsewhere

• DRR measures to protect economic investments

• Help must be linked to initiative. Protracted relief could breed mendicancy, inhibit or hold back local initiative and suppress native creativity

• Demand driven vs. donors driven

• Disaster Risk Reduction Plan must be considered basic input in the Regional Development Master Plan

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONSA study conducted in the 2017, espoused a review of all researches about climate change that were done. This comprehensive study must also be done in the Philippine setting and how these studies done contributed in the areas of policy formulation, monitoring, and implementation of such in the area of environmental planning practice in the Philippines.

Based on the foregoing findings and results, the following are recommendations of the authors based on presentations, studies and researches done in relation to the topic:

• Institutionalize Local Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Office

• Establish Early Warning System

• Formulation of Communication Protocol

• Formulation of Evacuation Procedures at the community level and establishments

• Organize Local DRRMC and define the functional roles and responsibilities of the members and task units

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONSBased on the foregoing findings and results, the following are recommendations of the authors based on presentations, studies and researches done in relation to the topic:

• Establish Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)

• Hazard awareness through Community-Based trainings and Seminars

• Actions must be directed towards adaptation policy push for public -private partnership

• Rapid review of infrastructure status and suggested adaptation strategy

• Strong involvement of sustainable planning

In conclusion, the laws of the country are in place with regard to disaster risk reduction management and climate change. Urban Management Tools for Climate Change as a practice in Philippine Environmental Planning must be known to environmental planners, promote scholarships, undergo training and set conferences, or fora tackling the subject matter, addressing different issues localized to the needs of the country to address problems in environmental planning practice in the country