Climate Change - UP Baguio

GOALTo assess the vulnerability and adaptivecapacities of local communities(selected barangays) to the impact ofclimate change in the BLISTT area(2011-2014).Program forCLIMATECHANGESpecificObjectives1. To undertake vulnerabilityassessment in the BLISTT area.2. To build a database on climatechange impacts, vulnerability andadaptation in the BLISTT area.3. To integrate climate change andsustainable development concepts,perspectives and issues in thecurriculum and instruction of UPBaguio.4. To enhance the capacity of BLISTTLocal Government Units (LGUs) andcommunities towards resilience inadapting to the adverse impacts ofclimate change.You may address all communications to:THE DIRECTOR3rd floor, CSS/CSC BuildingUniversity of the Philippines Baguio2600 Baguio City, PhilippinesTelefax: +63(074).442.5794E-mail: cordillerastudies@gmail.comWebsite: http://cordillerastudies.upb.edu.phFacebook: www.facebook.com/cordillera.studiescenterCordillera Studies CenterUNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES BAGUIO

Background andRationaleProgramComponentsProgram HeadThe Program for Climate Change was formed in aUP Baguio Faculty Conference held in June 2009,where a resolution was passed to develop intercollege,inter-disciplinary action research onclimate change in Baguio City and its environs.This resolution came in the midst of increasingconcern over the vulnerability of the Baguio, LaTrinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba and Tublay(BLISTT) area to disasters, shaped both by naturaland man-made elements.Baguio City, along with the rest of NorthernLuzon, is a consistently high-risk area for landslides,floods and earthquakes yet there is a lackof scientific data that would aid in addressingthese vulnerabilities. During the inception of theprogram, there had been no other universitybasedresearch programs that would initiate,coordinate and consolidate data on climatechange impacts, vulnerability and adaptation inthe city of Baguio and its environs. There was aneed, then, to develop such a program that wouldbe able to tap the academic/intellectualresources of local institutions of higher educationtowards the goal of enhancing local communities’resilience to climate change.The BLISTT AreaComposed of the cities of Baguio and La Trinidad as well asmunicipalities of Itogon, Sablan, Tuba and Tublay, this zonehas been identified as the locus of the studies because ofthe actual and potential areas for cooperation with regardto urban planning and development and climate changeadaptation, within the framework of the Climate Change Act(Republic Act 9729) of the Philippine national and localgovernments.ResearchInterdisciplinary/multi-disciplinary andtrans-disciplinary research is needed to understandthe dynamics of climate change in the BLISTTareas. The three colleges at UP Baguio shall beinvolved in inter-disciplinary team studies on thedifferent dimensions of climate change adaptation.The general concern of the program is to study theinteraction between climate change andecosystems in the BLISTT. The aim is to enhanceour understanding of how climate change impactson our ecosystem (and vice versa), and to developour capacity to predict possible impacts of climatechange in the city and its environs.Curriculum/InstructionThis component shall consist of a review of theexisting curriculum of the three (3) colleges of UPBaguio, in order to determine the extent to whichclimate and environmental issues are actually andmay potentially be taught and discussed in thecurriculum.University-Community PartnershipsThe University, through the Cordillera StudiesCenter (CSC), shall work closely with localcommunities and the government units of theBLISTT area throughout the whole research cycle.Through this approach, local communities areco-producers of knowledge as well as consumers ofthe knowledge-products for their own use andempowerment.Prof. Dymphna Nolasco-JavierDepartment of Physical SciencesCollege of ScienceUniversity of the Philippines BaguioPhoto Credits:Cabatuan, Zer S. 2012. P2050593. [Photograph]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/webzer/6863484001/in/photostream/?reg=1______________. 2012. P2050528. [Photograph] Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/webzer/6863479621/in/photostream/______________. 2012. P2030394. [Photograph] Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/webzer/6863471147/in/photostream/