First Philippine Grassroots Conference on Climate Change

I. Background

Climate change is expected to adversely and disproportionately impact on the lives of poor communities globally. As one of the countries where both poverty incidence and social disparities between the rich and the poor remain, the Philippines and its poor communities in both rural and urban areas are expected to bear the brunt of various impacts of climate change. Ironically, the country is not among world's top emitters of greenhouse gases.

There is ann urgent need to address climate change and its impacts on poor Filipinos: to find ways how to educate communities about the issue, to discuss how the impacts of climate change are concretely experienced at the grassroots levels, and to propose measures to cope with these emerging challenges. There is also a need for communities from developing countries to unite and demand accountability from developed countries and transnational corporations which have contributed most to global warming.

The Philippine Climate Watch Alliance (PCWA) was launched on 16 November 2008 to
address the need for dialogue, solidarity, and education. Formed as a broad network of non-government organizations, grassroots and people's organizations and individuals, PCWA aims to examine and address the impacts of climate change on marginalized communities and to unite a diverse number of sectors on the issue of climate change and the actions that can be undertaken at the local, national, and international levels.

Among the major activities that PCWA organized for 2009 along with the Center for Environmetnal Concerns (CEC) and the Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE) is the First Philippine National Grassroots Conference on Climate Change and Communities, a two-day study conference to be held at the Balai Kalinaw, University of the Philippines Diliman, from 20-22 April 2009.

II. Objectives of the Conference
The activity hopes to unite a broad number of grassroots organizations, cause-oriented organizations and POs, towards addressing the issue of climate change through education, research, advocacy, and action.

The Conference is one activity aiming to foster much-needed nationwide dialogue with grassroots communities and create a space for generating unities, solidarity, and further action. It is also a preparatory Philippine action to a larger Asian Grassroots Conference of Climate-Affected Communities to be held in June 2009.