Over the past decade, climate change has caused an annual average of 21.5 million displacements worldwide—more than twice the number resulting from conflict and violence. The Philippines is particularly vulnerable to these changes due to global warming’s erratic rainfall patterns, droughts, and rising sea levels. Additionally, prevalent poverty restricts the population's ability to prevent or manage the consequences of these disasters.
Case in point, in 1990 Typhoon Ruping caused considerable damage to the infrastructure of Cebu City, including the destruction of approximately 60% of all its buildings. Then, in 2013, the effects of Typhoon Hayan led the government to place the city under a state of national calamity.
