Global Warming and Climate Change

• Many interconnected global issues create significant challenges for human adaptation and necessitate social change, focusing on climate change and transnational migration, particularly in the context of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

Lesson 1: Global Warming and Climate Change

• Carbon dioxide (CO2), along with other air pollutants and greenhouse gases, accumulates in the atmosphere, trapping sunlight and solar energy.
• This intensifies the greenhouse effect, causing the planet to heat up.
• Global warming causes a rise in the average temperature of Earth’s atmosphere and oceans, leading to irreversible changes in the planet's climate.
• Global warming results in more frequent and intense extreme weather events, including heatwaves, droughts, floods, and large wildfires.
• Rising temperatures also lead to rising sea levels and changes in precipitation patterns.
• Disruptions to ecosystems can affect human health, agriculture, and water availability globally due to global warming.
• Global warming is causing notable seasonal changes, such as longer, hotter summers and shorter, milder winters.
• The length and intensity of each season are being altered across the globe, which impacts plant life, animal life, agriculture, and human societies.
• The severity of harsh weather events is increasing, with extreme heat waves, heavy precipitation leading to flooding, powerful hurricanes, severe droughts, and large-scale wildfires becoming more frequent and intense.
• Global warming is a key factor in disrupting agricultural production, reducing access to freshwater, and diminishing food security worldwide.
• Global warming heightens the risk of health problems, including heat-related illnesses, mental health issues, and the spread of diseases.
• Rising sea levels caused by melting glaciers and ice sheets, leads to more frequent flooding in coastal areas and permanent land loss and damage to infrastructure.
• While the total number of cyclones and hurricanes might not drastically increase, those that do form are likely to be more powerful, with higher wind speeds and heavier rainfall due to warmer ocean surface temperatures that fuel these storms.
• With the earth’s temperature rising, significant amounts of ice melt, increasing the volume of water flowing into the oceans and raising sea levels.
• Species that reside near ice caps and glaciers are relocating due to habitat loss from melting ice, which can potentially lead to extinction.
• High levels of precipitation will occur because the vast volume of water that evaporates as sea levels rise results in severe rains and storms.
• Carbonic acid is created when carbon dioxide dissolves in seawater, which acidifies the ocean, causing a pH shift.
• Methane from animals and nitrous oxide from fertilizers contribute to the rise in global temperatures.
• The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon altered by greenhouse gases.
• Climate change is a result of global warming, posing a severe threat to human life.
• Super Typhoon Yolanda, one of the most intense tropical storms ever recorded, struck the Philippines and was partly caused by climate change.
• Typhoon Haiyan, the deadliest typhoon in Philippine history, caused extensive damage and loss of life, killing at least 6,300 people in the country alone. It is tied with Meranti as the strongest landfalling tropical cyclone on record.
• Global warming and climate change caused typhoon Yolanda.
• Climate change will significantly affect society but is not completely comprehended and is characterized by irregular changes in the weather globally.
• Rising sea levels, habitat destruction, ocean acidification, and extreme weather are indicators of climate change.
• Climate change will affect every area of society, the environment, and the economy, impacting human behavior, livelihoods, infrastructure, and laws.

Lesson 2: Adaptation - Ways to Adapt

• Climate change adaptation includes conservation of natural resources like air, water, soil, minerals, plants, and animals.
• Reducing pollution and waste includes using reusable bottles or cups, using supermarket bags, recycling packaging and composting fruit and vegetable waste.
• Reusing water can be done by collecting shower water for flushing toilets or irrigating gardens.
• Recycling products would include newspapers, magazines, mixed paper, cardboard, tin cans, aluminum cans, glass jars, and plastic containers.
• Conserving energy is known as energy conservation and can be using less energy for a consistent service of lowering the amount of service.

Lesson 3: Transnational Migration and Overseas Filipino Workers

• Transnational migration refers to the movement of people across international borders who maintain strong social, economic, and cultural ties to their home country, thus creating connections that transcend national boundaries.
• Transnational migrants’ maintain ties with their home through sending remittances, visiting, involvement in political or community projects.
• Transnational migration leads to cultural exchange and diversification as migrants bring aspects of their home culture to their new society and vice versa.
• A Filipino worker in Saudi Arabia, sending money to the Philippines while participating in online Filipino communities abroad, is an example of transnational migrants.
• Factors of transnational migration include overpopulation, poverty, underemployment, unemployment and low wage levels.
• Economic benefits include remittances, cultural exchange and diversification, access to better job opportunities for migrants, population growth in aging societies, skill sharing between nations that contribute to a global community.
• Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are Filipino migrant workers who live and work outside of the Philippines.
• OFWs are a key part in economy as they contribute remittances in national issues.
• Approximately 2.2 million Filipinos work abroad, sending an estimated $31.4 billion in remittances in 2021.
• In 2011, there are 10,455,788 million OFWs, spreading throughout 236 counties, making Philippines one of the top three labor sending countries.
• OFW remittances are hailed for providing greater economic benefits.
• Include anxiety over migration impacts, delegation of responsibilities for grandparents and apprehensions over materialism.