A woman sits on the shoulder of a man while being carried towards a dry area in Barangay Mahogani, Butuan City on February 6, 2024. Erwin Mascarinas, ABS-CBN New/file

MANILA — The Philippines remains as the country most at risk from the effects of natural events for the third straight year, according to the 2024 WorldRiskReport.

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The report, published by the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict, assessed 193 countries by looking at their exposure to natural hazards and their vulnerabilities to damage from extreme natural events and negative impacts of climate change. 

It explains that exposure is the extent to which “populations in hazard-prone areas are exposed to and burdened by the impacts of extreme natural events” including frequency and intensity of earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, cyclones, droughts, and sea level rise. 

Vulnerability, on the other hand, looks at the three dimensions — susceptibility, coping and adaptive capacities. It considers the structural characteristics and conditions of society and their ability to cope by reducing the immediate aftermath as well as adapt by putting in place strategies to mitigate and prevent future impacts. 

The Philippines scored 39.99 for exposure and 55.03 for vulnerability — both considered very high. It also received high numbers for the lack of both coping and adaptive capacities. 

Altogether, the country received a WorldRiskIndex score of 46.91.

The top countries with the highest risk are: 

1. Philippines - 46.91

2. Indonesia - 41.13

3. India - 40.96

4. Colombia - 37.81

5. Mexico - 35.93

6. Myanmar - 35.85

7. Mozambique - 34.44

8. Russian Federation - 28.12

9. Bangladesh - 27.73

10. Pakistan - 27.02 

In 2022 and 2023, the country received a score of 46.82 and 46.86, respectively. 

Aside from extreme natural events, the report also looked at multiple crises that interact with and reinforce each other and “jeopardize livelihoods and future opportunities but also have a significant impact on (mental) health.” 

Such instances happened to some countries which were both burdened by the pandemic and extreme natural events. 

“One example is the Philippines, which was hit by 22 tropical cyclones during the COVID-19 pandemic, including Typhoon Goni – one of the strongest storms ever recorded. Hundreds of thousands of destroyed homes, overcrowded evacuation centers and the resulting increase in COVID-19 cases not only led to a dramatic increase in humanitarian needs, but also had a negative impact on the mental health of the population,” the report said. 

IMPROVING PH’S RANK 

Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum believes that country’s ranking in the index will improve in the long run, citing the availability of innovations and technology that only need to be maximized to reduce negative impacts of extreme natural events. 

These include locally-developed websites like HazardHunters PH and GeoRisk Philippines – which local governments can use to identify the hazards that may affect a certain area. 

But more importantly, Solidum cited the need for government to come up with a law on land use. 

“Ang land use ay pwedeng tignan sa lebel ng local government. Pero mas maganda kung tayo ay magkaroon ng national land use act upang pare-pareho ang pananaw ng mga local government pagdating sa paggamit ng impormasyon at mas maging ligtas ang ating mga kababayan,” he said. 

(Land use can be looked at by the local government. But it would be better to have a National Land Use Act so that all local governments will have the same view when it comes to information on how they can use our land and make it safe for Filipinos.) 

The agency, he added, is in coordination with other offices like the Office of Civil Defense and the Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development to provide guidance on land use planning as well as preparation and response to natural hazards. 

The science chief also said that improvements have so far been seen especially during extreme weather. 

“Sa ibang mga lugar, kahit nababaha ngayon ay napapabilis ang pagbaba ng tubig dahil sa mga interventions na ginagawa.” 

(Some areas vulnerable to floods are now seeing that they recede faster because of various interventions.) 

“Kelangan natin na mas maigting na implementation para maligtas ang buhay ng ating mga kababayan and that has to be done at the local level. Plus, siyempre ‘yung ating mga kababayan mismo, ‘yung sarili nila nilalagay nila sa risk,” Solidum said. 

(We need better implementation of policies to save many lives and that has to be done at the local level. At the same time, Filipinos also have to know when they are putting themselves in risky situations.) 

HOLISTIC APPROACH NEEDED 

The WorldRiskReport said the multiple crises people continue to face should not be looked at as independent of each other but rather as events that interact and reinforce each other.   

Approaches to risk analysis and crisis management, therefore, need to be holistic. 

“Close cooperation between research and humanitarian practice must be promoted to strengthen more detailed and comprehensive risk analyses in contexts of multiple crises and to facilitate their translation into concrete humanitarian measures.” 

Health care systems, one that is most heavily affected during crisis, should also be expanded and invested upon to strengthen their coping and preparedness capacities. 

The report also highlights the need to promote and fund comprehensive climate change adaptation to slow down, if not completely stop, its devastating impacts.