SWS: 87% of Pinoys experienced climate change impact in last 3 years

Houses are submerged in floodwaters due to monsoon rains enhanced by the recent Typhoon Egay in Calumpit, Bulacan, August 1, 2023. REUTERS/ Adrian Portugal

A large majority of adult Filipinos have felt the effects of climate change, with 87% saying they personally experienced its impact within the last three years, survey firm Social Weather Stations (SWS) reported Thursday.

This was among the key findings of the SWS survey conducted from Dec. 8 to 13 last year. A total of 1,200 Filipino adult respondents participated in the study through face-to-face interviews.

In terms of magnitude, SWS found that 19% of respondents said they experienced the severe impact of climate change; 43% felt moderate impact, while 24% reported little impact. At least 13% said they did not experience the impact of climate change.

Despite the high overall percentage, SWS reported decreasing figures over the past months.

“The December 2023 percentage of those who have personally experienced the impacts of climate change fell by 7 points from October 2023 and 6 points from December 2022, but it was similar to March 2017 and March 2013,” the SWS said.

“Compared to October 2023, those who experienced the severe impact of climate change fell by 4 points, while those who experienced the moderate impact similarly decreased by 4 points,” SWS said.

The SWS survey had a sampling error margin of ±2.8% for national percentages, and ±5.7% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon (areas outside of the National Capital Region), the Visayas, and Mindanao. — VDV, GMA Integrated News

This article SWS: 87% of Pinoys experienced climate change impact in last 3 years was originally published in GMA News Online.