THE Climate Change Commission (CCC) said it is advocating for flood control projects that better consider rainy-season conditions to boost climate resilience.

Undersecretary for Integrated Environmental Science Carlos P. David told the Senate there are alternatives to the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) reliance on so-called “gray infrastructure.”

“If infrastructure is improperly placed, not only does it exacerbate flooding; often it actually intensifies flooding downstream,” Mr. David said.

Mr. David said the need to construct projects during the dry season often means they are not properly placed to handle flows encountered during the rainy season.

He also backed water-impoundment projects that facilitate irrigation, hydropower, ecotourism, and aquaculture.

CCC Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje, citing the Climate Tracker Asia Study, said the rate of sea level rise in the Philippines was 2.8 millimeters (mm) per year in 1993 but 3.6 mm in 2010, twice the global average.

Between 2011 and 2021, typhoons caused around P673 billion in damage, he added.

By 2030, the CCC project infrastructure losses of P83 billion and lost productivity of P466 billion. The last El Niño caused P15 billion in losses to agriculture.

The CCC is tasked with raising public awareness of climate change and its impact on energy, agriculture, industry, transport, and health systems. — Andre Christopher H. Alampay

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