ImpactsOfEnvironmentalChangeToThePoor.docVIP

ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE AND VULNERABILITY IN THE PHILIPPINES Juan M. Pulhin Abstract The environment-poverty connection has been the subject of recent discourse in environmental management. Despite this, there seems to be limited understanding and appreciation on the intricacies of this connection in the Philippine context. This paper is written to fill this gap. It aims to explore deeper the environment-poverty interlink by offering some explanations to the following questions: What are the recently documented environmental changes in the Philippines and how are these impacting on the vulnerability of the poor? How do environmental changes affect the population movements especially among the poor? What are the strategies employed by the different sectors, especially the government, to reduce impacts of adverse environmental changes? Which strategies seem to be more effective in reducing the vulnerability of the poor and how can they be improved? The paper centers on five central messages. First, the Philippines environmental situation, has reached a crisis proportion. Three sets of environmental problems beset the nation: pollution and waste management-related problems associated with the brown environment; problems associated the with green environment or natural resource degradation that threatens agricultural production, forests, and biodiversity; and those linked with the blue environment that concerns water resources-related issues. The second major point of the paper states that impacts of environmental problems are most severe to the poorer sector. Poor people are often the most vulnerable in society because they are most exposed to a wide range of risks. Their minimal income implies they can hardly afford to save and accumulate assets. Because poor people are also oftentimes powerless, they usually are unable to build social networks, access social and other forms of formal assistance, and avail of credit facilities. These, limitations restrict thei