The world is getting warmer and natural hazards are becoming more intense, likely bringing higher economic losses in the future. Today, four major weather perils result in expected economic losses of USD 200 billion annually. With more severe weather coming, economic losses are set to rise. The study analysis finds …
Coastal areas are generally highly vulnerable to climate change impacts, and the need to reduce risks and build resilience is great. While a growing number of countries are integrating, or mainstreaming, adaptation into coastal development plans, many struggle to implement proposed actions on the ground, leading to an implementation gap. …
A record 212 people who defend our land and environment were killed last year, reports Global Witness - an international NGO dedicated to preventing extractive industries from infringing on human rights. This is an average of more than four people a week. Shockingly, over half of all reported killings last …
The Asian Development Bank conducted a Philippine enterprise survey from 28 April to 15 May 2020 to gauge the impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the business community. Questions focused on production, finance, workforce, supply chains, and other issues. The survey also asked about the support measures needed …
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Food Industry Asia (FIA) released a regional survey of consumers and food and beverage businesses across South-East Asia that shows a significant disconnect between expectation and action on reducing plastic waste. The challenges of plastic pollution have only increased in the past few …
This report sheds light on one of the fastest-growing economic regions in the world - ASEAN. ASEAN is expected to become the world’s fourth-largest economy and the third most populous by 20230. Countries within ASEAN are in themselves diverse, with economic, political, and cultural nuances. Over the next years, the …
On March 16, 2020, transportation and industries ground to a near halt in Metro Manila as the government enforced an “enhanced community quarantine” (ECQ) in the country’s busiest metropolis. The lockdown was only one of the many across the globe that was implemented in an effort to slow down the …
The Philippine planning and budgeting systems are well placed in terms of their capacity to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and could serve as a useful reference for other countries. First, all the SDGs can be mapped into the priorities of the Philippines Development Plan (PDP). …
The UN’s Humanitarian Chief, Mark Lowcock, has called for swift and determined action to avoid the most destabilizing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic as he releases a $6.7 billion appeal and an updated global plan to fight coronavirus in fragile countries. COVID-19 has now reached every country, with nearly 3,596,000 …
UNDP is currently implementing an innovative project called the Global Sustainable Supply Chains for Marine Commodities Project (GMC Project). This report describes its unique approach to engaging different public and private sector actors along the seafood supply chain to drive sustainability into 9 distinct fisheries in Asia and Latin America.After …
The COVID-19 virus that triggered a supply shock in China has now caused a global shock. Developing economies in East Asia and the Pacific (EAP), recovering from a trade war and struggling with a viral disease, now face the prospect of a global financial shock and recession. Significant economic pain …
As the renewable energy sector matures, policies must be adapted to reflect changing market conditions. With the increasing use of auctions, policymakers seek to procure renewables-based electricity at the lowest price and also fulfil socio-economic objectives. Auctions designed in innovative ways can help achieve specific national goals, beyond solely procuring …
Location technology specialist, TomTom (TOM2), released the results of the TomTom Traffic Index, a report detailing the traffic situation in 416 cities in 57 countries. Bengaluru takes the top spot this year with drivers in the southern Indian city expecting to spend an average of 71% extra travel time stuck …
Given the growing international pressure to mitigate climate change and increasing fears around climate impacts, expectations of continued investment in fossil fuels in Southeast Asia’s power sector appear puzzling. This paper explores how power sector investors perceive climate-related risks and how they factor these risks into investment decision-making.
Actions to address different forms of malnutrition are typically managed by separate communities, policies, programmes, governance structures, and funding streams. By contrast, double-duty actions, which aim to simultaneously tackle both undernutrition and problems of overweight, obesity, and diet-related non-communicable diseases (DR-NCDs) have been proposed as a way to effectively address …
Most estimates of global mean sea-level rise this century fall below 2 m. This quantity is comparable to the positive vertical bias of the principle digital elevation model (DEM) used to assess global and national population exposures to extreme coastal water levels, NASA’s SRTM. CoastalDEM is a new DEM utilizing …
Taking the Pulse 2019 details the energy access financing challenge faced in three countries: Madagascar, the Philippines and Uganda. The report provides crucial insights into how national contexts shape finance flows for electricity and clean cooking access. Each of these countries has its own unique set of energy needs, existing …
Developing countries throughout Asia have made impressive gains in sanitation improvement through efforts to reduce open defecation and improve toilet coverage, and hygienic citywide fecal sludge management programs have become critical. Fecal sludge management (FSM) is implemented to transport fecal waste from residential environments, improve wastewater systems, and reduce the …
The working paper documents the pilot rural radio campaign, dubbed as 'Climate Change i-Broadkas Mo', implemented by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security in Southeast Asia (CCAFS SEA) and the Philippine Federation of Rural Broadcasters (PFRB) in strategic regions of the Philippines from 2015 to …
What India can learn from the Philippines, which set up a Biotech Program Office in 2000 to promote the responsible use of agri-biotechnology to sustain food security. With Prakash Javadekar taking charge of the environment ministry from the inert Harsh Vardhan, and hopes kindling of genetically-engineered brinjal and mustard being …
This paper considers the potential extent of adaptation to sea level rise by examining the adaptation of communities in low-lying Philippine islands that flood during spring tides. Sea level rise poses a serious threat to small island developing states. Although communities at risk are already implementing various strategies to address …
