<P> At 04: 40 on November 8th, 2013, Super Typhoon Haiyan, also known locally as "Yolanda", made landfall in the Philippines in the Guiuan municipality . The category 5 typhoon continued to travel west, making landfall in several municipalities, and ultimately devastated enormous stretches of the Philippines islands of Samar, Leyte, Cebu, and the Visaya archipelago . Tied for being the strongest landfalling tropical typhoon on record, Typhoon Haiyan had wind speeds of over 300 km / h (almost 190 mph) which triggered major storm surges that wreaked havoc on many places in the country . Leaving over 6,300 dead, 28,688 injured, and 1062 missing, Typhoon Haiyan is the deadliest typhoon on record in the Philippines . More than 16 million people were affected by the storm, suffering from the storm surge, flash floods, landslides, and extreme winds and rainfall that took lives, destroyed homes, and devastated many . Typhoon Haiyan crucially damaged over 1.1 million houses across the country and displaced over 4.1 million people . According to the NDRRMC, the storm cost the Philippines about 3.64 billion US dollars . </P> <P> Future projections for the current trajectory of climate change predict that global warming is likely to exceed 3degrees Celsius, potentially 4degrees, by 2060 . Specifically in the Philippines, average temperatures are "virtually certain" to see an increase of 1.8 to 2.2 degrees Celsius . This temperature increase will stratify the local climate and cause the wet and dry seasons to be wetter and drier, respectively . Most areas in the Philippines will see reduced rainfall from March to May, while Luzon and Visayas will see increased heavy rainfall . There will also be an increase in: the number of days that exceed 35degree C; that have less than 2.5 mm of rainfall; and that have more than 300mm of rainfall . Additionally, climate change will continue to increase the intensity of typhoons and tropical storms . Sea levels around the Philippines are projected to rise 0.48 to 0.65 meters by 2100, which exceeds the global average for rates of sea level rise . Combined with sea level rise, this stratification into more extreme seasons and climates increases the frequency and severity of storm surge, floods, landslides, and droughts . These exacerbate risks to agriculture, energy, water, infrastructure, human health, and coastal ecosystems . </P> <P> Agriculture is one of the Philippines' largest sectors and will continue to be adversely impacted by the effects of climate change . The agriculture sector employs 35% of the working population and generated 13% of the country's GDP in 2009 . The two most important crops, rice and corn, account for 67% of the land under cultivation and stand to see reduced yields from heat and water stress . Rice, wheat, and corn crops are expected to see a 10% decrease in yield for every 1degree C increase over a 30dC average annual temperature . Increases in extreme weather events will have devastating affects on agriculture . Typhoons (high winds) and heavy rainfall contribute to the destruction of crops, reduced soil fertility, altered agricultural productivity through severe flooding, increased runoff, and soil erosion . Droughts and reduced rainfall leads to increased pest infestations that damage crops as well as an increased need for irrigation . Rising sea levels increases salinity which leads to a loss of arable land and irrigation water . All of these factors contribute to higher prices of food and an increased demand for imports, which hurts the general economy as well as individual livelihoods . From 2006 to 2013, the Philippines experienced a total of 75 disasters that cost the agricultural sector $3.8 billion in loss and damages . Typhoon Haiyan alone cost the Philippines' agricultural sector an estimated US $724 million after causing 1.1 million tonnes of crop loss and destroying 600,000 ha of farmland . The agricultural sector is expected to see an estimated annual GDP loss of 2.2% by 2100 due to climate impacts on agriculture . </P> <P> In the Philippines, there is a correlation between rainfall and civil conflict, and manifests through agricultural production . The increased rainfall during the wet season in the Philippines is proven to be harmful to agriculture as it leads to flooding and / or water logging . This above average rainfall is associated with "more conflict related incidents and casualties". The rainfall has a negative effect on rice which is an important crop that a majority of the country depends on as both a food sources and employment . A poor rice crop can lead to large impacts on the wellbeing of poor Filipinx and cause widespread contempt for the government and more support for insurgent groups . Climate change is expected to amplify the seasonal variation of rainfall in the Philippines and exacerbate ongoing civil conflict in the country . </P>

Reaction paper about the environment in the philippines