Climate change drives rise in rainfall, ‘Christmas typhoons’ in Philippines

Climate change drives rise in rainfall, ‘Christmas typhoons’ in Philippines


The Philippines experienced an increase in “Christmas typhoons” and tropical cyclone-induced rainfall over the last couple of decades, according to the country’s latest climate report. The report, to be published by the Philippine Climate Change Assessment (PhilCCA) Working Group 1 on Oct. 14, is patterned after the climate reports by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Faye Cruz, climate scientist and Manila Observatory regional climate systems laboratory head, said at a press briefing that one study the report examined tracked “Christmas typhoons,” named for their tendency to occur from December to February. The 2021 study found a 210% increase in Christmas typhoons nationwide since 2012. This trend is more pronounced in southern Philippines, which saw a 480% increase. These tropical cyclones are still low in number, but have been increasing in recent years, Cruz said.  The PhilCCA authors also said that tropical cyclone-induced rainfall in the Philippines saw significant increases since 2000, ranging from 16.9% to 19.3% per decade. Climatologist Lourdes Tibig, lead author of two IPCC reports and climate adviser for the Manila-based Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, said the observed impacts featured in the assessment “are really attributable to human-induced climate change.” Between 1951 and 2018, the Philippines also saw an average increase in temperature of 0.16° Celsius (0.29° Fahrenheit) per decade, the PhilCCA report shows. John Manalo, a meteorologist from the Philippines’ state weather bureau, said urbanization and the urban heat island effect amplified the increase in temperature in the country. Long-term temperature…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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