User:Dimahal/Environmental issues in the Philippines

Page Editing: Environmental issues in the Philippines

Talk page explanation:
Hello all,

I attempted to address the issues in the lead section by doing the following:


 * Updated and brought the preexisting list of current environmental problems in the Philippines to the front to introduce the page.
 * Rewrote/added sentences to include more of what is represented in the article and expand upon the general overview of environmental crises in the Philippines.
 * Added missing sources.
 * Removed lead section maintenance template issues because I addressed them.

To see the versions side by side please refer to my sandbox page.

I tried to keep the essence of what the original author wrote but feel that the emphasis on geographic location as the reasoning for the current enviornmental situation in the Philippines didn’t accurately reflect the whole picture. That being said, I do think it is an important facet and hope to see it expanded upon in the body section. Hope it was helpful. Please let me know if there are concerns.

Original lead paragraph:
The Philippines' evident risk to natural disasters is due to its location. Being a country that lies in the Pacific Ring of Fire, it is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In addition, the country is surrounded by large bodies of water and facing the Pacific Ocean where 60% of the world's typhoons are made. One of the most devastating typhoons that hit the Philippines in 2013 was Typhoon Haiyan, or "Yolanda," that killed over 10,000 people and destroyed over a trillion pesos worth of properties and damage to various sectors. Other environmental problems that the country is facing include pollution, illegal mining and logging, deforestation, dynamite fishing, landslides, coastal erosion, wildlife extinction, global warming and climate change.

Edited lead paragraph:
Current version:

Today, environmental problems in the Philippines include pollution, illegal mining and logging, deforestation, threats to environmental activists, dynamite fishing, landslides, coastal erosion, biodiversity loss, extinction, global warming and climate change. Due to the paucity of extant documents, a complete history of land use in the archipelago remains unwritten. However, relevant data shows destructive land use increased significantly in the eighteenth century when Spanish colonialism enhanced its extraction of the archipelago's resources for the early modern global market. The Philippines is projected to be one of the most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change. Meanwhile, the country is projected to be one of the most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change, which would exacerbate these weather extremes. As The Philippines lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, it is prone to natural disasters, like earthquakes, typhoons, and volcanic eruptions. In 2021, the Philippines ranked the fourth most affected country from "weather-related loss events", partly due to the close proximity of major infrastructure and residential areas to the coast and unreliable government support. One of the most devastating typhoons to hit the archipelago was Typhoon Haiyan, known locally as Yolanda, in 2013 that killed 6,300 people and left 28,689 injured. Philippine politicians have demonstrated awareness of environmental crises with the passing of policies like The Clean Air Act of 1999, the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004, the Climate Change Act of 2009, and participation in the Paris Agreement. However, research has found that outside of cities, the general public doesn't feel equally informed. Environmental activists and land defenders, comprising mostly of Indigenous communities who have been attempting to bring attention to the environmental issues in the country have been met with violence or murder. As a result, the Philippines has been ranked one of the most dangerous places in the world for environmental activists.

Former version:

Today, environmental problems experienced in the Philippines include pollution, illegal mining and logging, deforestation, threats to environmental activists, dynamite fishing, landslides, coastal erosion, biodiversity loss, extinction, global warming and climate change. Due to missing or destroyed documentation, a complete history of land use in the archipelago is difficult to find. However, existing data shows destructive land use increased significantly in the eighteenth century when resources from the Philippines were brought into the global market during Spanish imperialism. The Philippines is projected to be one of the most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change. One of the largest of these concerns is the exacerbation of natural disasters, like earthquakes, typhoons, and volcanic eruptions, that the area is prone to due to its geographic location on the Pacific Ring of Fire. In 2021, the Philippines ranked the fourth most affected country from "weather-related loss events", partly due to the close proximity of major infrastructure and residential areas to the coast and unreliable government support. One of the most devastating typhoons to hit the archipelago was Typhoon Haiyan, known locally as Yolanda, in 2013 that killed 6,300 people and left 28,689 injured. Philippine politicians have demonstrated awareness of environmental crises with the passing of policies like The Clean Air Act of 1999, the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004, the Climate Change Act of 2009, and participation in the Paris Agreement. However, research has found that outside of cities, the general public doesn't feel equally informed. Environmental activists and land defenders, comprising mostly of Indigenous communities who have been attempting to bring attention to the environmental issues in the country have been met with violence or murder. As a result, the Philippines has been ranked one of the most dangerous places in the world for environmental activists.