With 95 percent of Filipinos reporting they have experienced the effects of climate change, 94 percent say the government should spend more to protect communities from water-related climate change events, like storms, floods and rising sea levels.
New research from global professional services company GHD showed the proportion of Filipinos that experienced climate change is much higher than the 10-country average of 64 percent.
GHD’s Crossroads intergenerational equity research is based on a comprehensive survey conducted across 10 countries: Australia, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, the Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
A total of 13,000 adults, sampled to be representative of age, gender and region in these countries, participated in the survey in mid-May.
All Filipino generations are more optimistic than their “Anglosphere” counterparts when asked to look 30 years into the future and consider “…whether the decisions being made by the current generation of leaders will leave your community in a better or worse state than it is today.”
The optimism level is much higher among older generations, with 63 percent of Filipino Gen X and 65percent of Filipino Baby Boomers agreeing the state of their community would be much better or a little better, compared to 10-country averages of 44 percent and 34 percent respectively.
All generations in the Philippines cited “Developing green, nature-based solutions to ensure supply of clean, safe drinking water that protects natural waterways/oceans” as the highest priority, with Generation Z respondents giving equal priority to “Building a sustainable economy that reduces, reuses, repairs,recycles, recovers and disposes sustainably.”
According to Daniele Coronacion, GHD executive advisor for the Philippines, the findings reflect widespread support across all age groups for resilient infrastructure that can withstand climate-related challenges.
“Our objective in pursuing this research was to better understand intergenerational differences, but what we have found is that all generations in the Philippines are united in their desire for more sustainable infrastructure and communities,” Coronacion said.
“Intergenerational equity is about achieving fairness and justice across all generations, both now and in the future. The survey shows that there is broad agreement on priorities that must be tackled and an optimistic outlook that makes progress possible. At the same time, there is a need to ensure that everyone’s voices are heard and all generations are included in decision-making.”
About 95 percent of Filipino respondents say they are committed to making sustainable choices and practicing more eco-friendly habits to reduce the impact of climate change.
The same proportion would like to see more green and sustainable building methods.
Ninety-three percent say the government needs to do more to cut transport emissions, like providing incentives for electric vehicles, encouraging public transport use and providing safe paths for walking and cycling.
The survey said 9 in 10 Filipinos would use public transport more to get to work, school, shopping and healthcare if it was easier, more reliable and/or cheaper while 83 percent of Filipino respondents are willing to pay more for household water if it means everyone in the community has access to clean drinking water and sanitation
Seven in 10 are open to “drinking treated or recycled water like purified wastewater, stormwater, or sea water with the salt taken out.”
