The Philippines: Devastated by Climate Change

The Philippines is a developing country with a high rate of poverty and considerable water-related development obstacles to overcome. Income inequality is a major and ongoing development barrier. With an annual population growth rate of 2.1 percent, the country is projected to face water shortages by 2025. Nine major cities in the Philippines were classified in a 2010 study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency as water critical areas: Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, Davao, Baguio, Angeles, Cagayan de Cro, Zamboanga, and Iloilo. There are pro-nounced gaps in water supply and quality between the urban and the rural areas. These gaps are exacerbated by a high poverty ratio and a large rural population. The country has 7,110 islands and a land area of about 300,000 square kilometers. There are 96,000 square kilometers of agricultural land which comprises 32 percent of the total landmass. Agricultural lands and the farmers and populations they sustain will be dramatically affected by climate change. In total, there are 138 cities, 1,496 municipalities, and 42,027 barangays.