Philippines to suffer worst climate change devastation

The Philippines faces serious threats of climate change as the rising temperature and sea level will devastate most of the archipelago's ecology system, a U.S. space scientist warned here Friday. Josefino Comiso, a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) physicist who made climate change studies, said the Philippines is very vulnerable to warming climate because it is home to a high diversity of species.

Comiso, a contributing author to the report on climate change of Nobel winner Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change, is in Manila for a visit to share his knowledge with Philippine scientists, the online news network INQUIRER.NET reported. Comiso said that the country's coral reefs, home to algae and hundreds of species of fish, are under immediate threat. "The Philippines is not emitting a lot of carbon dioxide, but it's going to be the biggest victim of climate change," he said.

The leading NASA scientist said coral reefs, a wide range of plant and animal species are particularly under extinction threats of the climate change. Six countries, including the Philippines, contain over half of the world's reefs. Together with Indonesia, the Philippines has a high diversity of coral reefs, studies show. Only 4 to 5 percent of the 27,000 sq km of the country's coral reefs are in excellent condition, the report said. Comiso also said a rise in sea level and stronger storms will affect the Philippines.

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