THE southwest monsoon or habagat season ended this week, with meteorologists declaring a noticeable shift in the weather patterns caused by strengthening high pressure system over East Asia.
There is now the southward movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, suggesting the Philippines, battered by an average 20 typhoons annually, is entering a transition period towards the northeast monsoon or amihan, the cool and dry season.
The transition signals a shift to cooler, drier winds following the end of the rainy season in the country’s western parts.
While this annual weather pattern change is not directly indicative of increased climate change risk, it occurs within the larger context of global warming, already causing more extreme weather events like intense rain, floods, and rising sea levels in the Philippines, requiring adaptation and mitigation efforts.
To the ordinary people, the end of the habagat means the strong, rainy winds from the southwest are weakening, and a high-pressure system over East Asia is beginning to influence the weather, leading to the transition to the northeast monsoon.
While the monsoon ending is a normal event, it happens in an era of significant climate change impacts.
The Philippines is vulnerable to climate risk, experiencing rising temperatures, increasing sea levels, more frequent heavy rainfall events, and shifts in seasonal patterns.
As the country rolls over to the weekend, Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol Region, and the rest of Mimaropa are threatened with cloudy skies, scattered rains with thunderstorms.
The rest of the country will have cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.
This means climate change is projected to increase the intensity and frequency of extreme rainfall and tropical cyclones, leading to more devastating floods and landslides – with investigations on infrastructure projects, nearly all ghost – continuing while the public are crying for transparency and accountability with billions of pesos aimed at funding these projects missing.
With the transition in weather patterns, the country must continue to monitor these changes and develop strategies to adapt to and reduce the risks associated with climate change, especially in vulnerable sectors like agriculture and water resources.
Climate risk, one of the most basic challenges ever to confront humanity, has adverse impacts which are seen and may intensify exponentially over time if nothing is done to reduce further emissions of greenhouse gases.
Climatologists say dealing with climate change now is key to ensuring sustainable development, poverty eradication and safeguarding economic growth.
Scientific assessments indicate the cost of inaction now will be more costly in the future. Thus, economic development needs to be shifted to a low-carbon emission path.
