How does climate change affect your life?

Climate change is really happening and all people are affected. It has a great impact on people’s lives especially mine and my family’s. Before, we didn’t have this very hot weather but now we can feel the difference. I, for example, when going up and down to Central, I can easily get exhausted, tired, thirsty and felt the hardness of breathing. It’s really annoying. My family in the Philippines is also affected by this climate change. They have no aircon there and it’s very hot even at night time. They cannot sleep well because even the air from the fan is hot. This climate change is really alarming.

— Flor Bersabe

Generally, climate change has a significant impact in our food production decreasing supply hence a rise in prices aside from other factors. In our home, the use of aircondition though maybe beneficial to us, is harmful to our ozone layer. Because of calamities, the destruction of our trees and forest cannot be replaced in a short time. It takes many years. I think the scientific explanation of climate change should be taken more seriously in order to prepare our life and our family for the worst scenario.

— Wilma Alon Bolante

I always hear the news and also read in the social media about the climate change. It affects all of us. The temperature gets higher and the heat makes me sick and uncomfortable. The weather is weird sometimes, as it rains heavily more often and then the hot sun comes out suddenly. My family is also affected. They are using aircon because they cannot stand the heat. But because it is too hot, they need to increase its power which result to higher electricity consumption that causes our electricity bill to shoot up. How I pray that there will be a solution to this climate change. 

— Lorie Loyola

Climate change is a global phenomenon that is already having a significant impact on my life and my family especially on health, economy and environment. Because of extreme heat and cold due to sudden changes of climate, my family and I were subject to cough and fever and we spent money for medication and daily works were affected. The environment is so hot and we came to realise that we have to plant and take care of our trees, and have decided to strengthen our practice of waste segregation.

— Racquel R. Modequillo

Climate change is directly related to inflation. Let’s see it as simple as when ricefields and other agricultural landforms are struck by typhoons and flashfloods, the supply of essentials and goods are compromised. Consequently, price hikes of limited supplies of goods take place. Moreover, suppliers and retailers who are able to hoard such supplies are able to manipulate the pricing. It affects not just my family but every other average or below-average households in a way that it becomes a daily financial struggle. Nonetheless, the government has a huge responsibility to impose laws that would taxate carbon-emmission business practices, enforce education about environmental protection among young people, and if possible, finance activities that would help environmental sustainability. At the end of the day, a body will never work without a strong head.

— George Magat Travero

Climate change is very real. We can now see its devastating effects in our everyday life. Here in the Philippines, weather has become erratic, in the morning sun was up then early afternoon heavy downpour causing massive floods on the streets. My wokplace is flood prone so I need to prepare protection like boots, raingear otherwise I will get wet and be sick. 

My elderly mom is now wheelchair bound so when we go to malls, climate change has somehow limited the number of hours we can spend there. We need to get home by mid afternoon, as rain commonly occurs during that time. Climate change has also affected the quality of life — air, environment, food we eat. We need to be conscious of changes around us to be more prepared in dealing with sicknesses, more on prevention. 

— Maria Luisa Uy