By Liezelle Soriano
PULSE Asia revealed on Monday that less than 50 percent of Filipino adults know enough about climate change.
According to poll findings, 44 percent of Filipino people believe that they are well aware of climate change, while 40 percent believe they have little information.
“From June 2022 to September 2023, there is an increase in the percentage of Filipinos with enough knowledge about climate change (+10 percentage points) while the reverse occurs in terms of those with little knowledge (-6 percentage points),” the survey said.
About 48 percent of Filipinos in Metro Manila said they have sufficient knowledge about climate change while 41 percent said they only have a little knowledge.
“The only exception is the Visayas, where a small majority of adult residents (56%) claim to have sufficient knowledge. Meanwhile, 11% of adults say they have wide knowledge about climate change while 5% have almost/completely no knowledge,” it said.
According to the United Nations (UN), climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Such shifts can be natural, due to changes in the sun’s activity or large volcanic eruptions.
The UN furthered that humans are responsible for global warming, adding that the effects of climate change include intense droughts, water scarcity, severe fires, rising sea levels, flooding, melting polar ice, catastrophic storms, and declining biodiversity.
“The main greenhouse gases that are causing climate change include carbon dioxide and methane. These come from using gasoline for driving a car or coal for heating a building, for example. Clearing land and cutting down forests can also release carbon dioxide. Agriculture, oil, and gas operations are major sources of methane emissions,” the UN said on its website.
(ai/mnm)