•
Warmer waters will adversely affect certain species of plankton and fish, as well as
sea grasses and corals, while possibly simultaneously enhancing the growth of some
harmful algal species. The recurrence of toxic algal blooms in Manila Bay, especially
the dominant alga, Pyrodinium bahamense varcompressum, has been attributed to the
increased sea surface temperatures.15
•
Temperature changes could also contribute to a redistribution of fish populations and
disrupt migration patterns for pelagic fishes, which, combined with over-fishing and
coral bleaching, may reinforce fishery collapse.16
•
The disruption of salt and fresh water balance caused by warming may lead to a
mismatch between the plankton blooms and juvenile fishes that depend on them for
food, potentially leading in the long term to species shifts and impacts to commercial
fisheries.17
•
Warming alters the growth rates and physiological functions of sea grasses and
changes their distribution and patterns of reproduction, affecting the many marine
species that depend on them for food.18
•
Other organisms like marine mammals, may also suffer from habitat destruction,
fragmentation of population and disruption of their trophic dynamics.19
In another study, Peng, et al. (2004) found that higher night temperature due to climate
change had already led to diminished rice yields, with irrigated field experiment data from
1992 to 2003, rice grain yield fell by 10% per degree centigrade increase in the minimum
temperature during the dry season.
The preceding studies are now a decade old. As the IPCC AR5 does not add
significantly to projections of change at a regional level, Greenpeace Southeast Asia
commissioned its own study to give greater specificity and detail for the Philippines, insofar
as that is possible. An independent researcher, Carsten Walther, authored an overview of
existing literature (Table 1) on climate change impacts in the Philippines in his individual
capacity as climate researcher for Greenpeace Southeast Asia. Mr. Walther is associated with
the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).20
15
Id. at 3.
Id. at 4.
17
Id. at 3.
18
Id. at 3.
19
Id. at 4.
20
Walther. C. 2015. Literature review of studies related to climate change impacts in the Philippines. An internal
document prepared for Greenpeace International and Greenpeace South East Asia. April, 2015.
16