Extreme weather to hurt GDP

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LEGAZPI CITY — The Philippines' gross domestic product (GDP) in 2030 and beyond might be in serious jeopardy if the country does not adapt to the unavoidable consequences of climate change.

The assumption was made by British Ambassador to the Philippines Laure Beaufils who noted the country has been facing adaptation challenges in the face of shifts in extreme weather conditions.

CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION British Ambassador to the Philippines Laure Beaufils discusses the consequences the Philippines is facing if it doesn’t do something about climate change adaptations, and warned the country’s gross domestic product in 2030 and beyond might be affected due to unavoidable consequences of the climate change on crops, livelihood, and different sectors. PHOTO BY RHAYDZ BARCIA

"(The) Philippines if it doesn't work to adapt to the unavoidable consequences of the climate change, significant look is the loss of the GDP, loss in livelihood, loss in crops and affect across different sectors," Beaufils told The Manila Times during the UK-Ph Climate and Environment Networking Reception held at the Manila Peninsula Hotel, Makati City on March 12, 2025.

"So, the challenge is how do we adapt, how do we invest in culture, agriculture, and for irrigation. How do we adjust from crops to make sure that they are going to smoothly grow in the context of climate change?" added the British envoy.

"It was about how we have the data to know what we have to do, at the national level. This is UK-Philippines climate change and environmental talk about today," she said.

Beaufils said that in the next 20 years, various regions in the country will be affected by flooding and drought.

"Different regions will be affected differently. Some will have flooding in the next 20 years, some will have suffered from drought. We talk about localization. We talk about local level analytic data to improve concrete plans," she said.

Beaufils cited the case of Negros which she said needs to adapt to climate change if it is to maintain its crops, notably rice and sugarcane.

"How do these crops adapt? That is the big question and that is why the governments of the Philippines and UK are working together to protect livelihoods and the people from climate change," the ambassador said.

The British government through the British Embassy conducted the fifth UK-Philippines Climate and Environment Dialogue to discuss concrete actions and plans for the year ahead in the areas of climate science and innovation, localization and resilience, and mobilizing finance.

She said that the UK-Philippine climate and environment partnership represents more than just a shared commitment to addressing climate change. She said it symbolizes the power of collaboration across sectors and borders to drive meaningful action, strengthen resilience, and protect the planet for generations to come.

"Earlier, we agreed on a concrete next step to promote and increase access of local organizations and state universities across the Philippines to the UK's biodiversity challenge funds and nature grant facilities," the ambassador said.

Beaufils stressed the need to ensure a coordinated approach to replicate and scale-up our ongoing support to operationalize the Philippines National Adaptation Plan, with the goal of catalyzing private capital for climate-smart and resilient food and water sectors.

"We are committed to support the Philippines, address intersecting vulnerabilities and maximize economic opportunities in a sustainable way," said Beaufils, adding that the potential cost of inaction can reach 7.6 percent of the Philippines GDP in 2030 and can further increase to 18-25 percent in 2050.

According to the British official, UK Foreign Secretary Rt. Hon. David Lammy visited the Philippines a few days ago and reaffirmed the UK's commitment to the climate and nature agenda and its desire to be a genuine partner to the Philippines in this space.

"In a very special event on Blue Horizons: Accelerating UK-Philippines Blue Economy Partnership, he championed the conservation and sustainable use of blue biodiversity — a shared heritage of the UK and the Philippines as island nations," said Beaufils.