Christmas typhoons up 210%

MANILA, Philippines — A study conducted by Filipino scientists showed that the number of typhoons during Yuletide has significantly increased by 210 percent since 2012, while the 15-day heat waves experienced during the onslaught of El Niño could happen every two years amid the impact of climate change.

Rodel Lasco, executive director of the Oscar M. Lopez Center for Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management Foundation, presented the findings of the study during the climate change briefing in Pasig City.

“The cost of damage associated with tropical cyclones is significantly increasing. While the annual frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones in the Philippines show no discernible long-term period, the number of Christmas typhoons has significantly increased by 210 percent since 2012,” Lasco said.

He noted that higher and more significant trends are observed in nighttime temperatures than in daytime, especially from December to February, attributing this to “urbanization.”

According to the study, Lasco said that the country’s heat wave is hotter by 1.2 degrees Celsius because of climate change.

Meanwhile, Lasco said that there was a significant increase in rainfall over Metro Manila by about 78 millimeters per decade from 1901 to 2018.

The study was supported by the Climate Change Commission (CCC) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

CCC vice chairman and executive director Robert Borje said that the commission does not want to be alarmist despite extreme findings by the study.