MULTI-SECTOR participation and best practices should be discussed and widely adopted to proactively address climate risks before they lessen the vulnerability of communities to physical, social, and economic shocks.
This was the proactive stand that emerged during a recent virtual town hall discussion featuring an alliance of business groups that tackled disaster mitigation programs and preparedness against the economic effects of climate change.
“The private sector has a role to play in terms of fighting the effects of climate change and helping reverse it, mitigate its effects. We’re one of the countries with the most typhoons in the world. We are number two in terms of the number of displaced people in the world. We had something like 4.4 million people just last year displaced by disasters,” Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation president Rene “Butch” Meily said.
The PDRF is an alliance of top Philippine business groups supporting programs to boost disaster management capabilities in areas of prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, and rehabilitation and recovery.
The town hall discussion was organized by the Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute and tackled the theme, “Best Practices for a Proactive Approach to Climate Resiliency.”
PDRF co-chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, chairman of Ayala Corp., said: “Corporate executives should have a strong understanding about the implications of climate change, as well as have the opportunities to dialogue about these issues at the highest levels to enable officers and the company as a whole to make informed and sustainable strategic decisions.”
“Climate change is an existential threat to everyone, whether you are a business, a government institution, or just an individual. Its far-reaching effects and implications have an impact on long-term resilience, sustainability, and longevity,” Ayala said.
