WE are at a climate crossroads. The world has already warmed by 1.2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Beyond 1.5 degrees, as science has said, we risk experiencing bigger and more destructive climate-induced disasters that will disproportionately affect the poor, vulnerable and the marginalized, especially in the developing world.

The Philippines will not be spared. The increasing severity of typhoons is a stark reminder that climate change, which causes extreme weather events, is a clear and present threat. The country has been subjected over and over again to a cycle of destruction and reconstruction and the time has come for this to stop. The lack of community capacities to be prepared for worst-case scenarios must be urgently addressed.

Most of the impacts of climate change and disasters are preventable. Flooding, for example, has affordable primary prevention mechanisms such as dams, dikes and drainage systems. Poor drainage and garbage disposal problems aggravated the impacts of typhoons.

Areas around waterways have become densely populated, affecting water flow and preventing maintenance. In addition, trash consisting mostly of plastic and other solid waste continually clog waterways and entrances to pumping stations.

The social challenges that aggravate climate and disaster risks include overpopulation and urban congestion, where a considerable number of people live in informal settlements that are particularly vulnerable to flooding. Many communities live in inadequate housing near waterways.

While heavy and excessive rainfall is part of the new normal due to climate change, we need not live with the vulnerabilities that disrupt our social and economic activities. We need not have flooded streets, heavy traffic, stranded commuters, washed away houses, collapsed bridges, displaced families and devastated farmlands for every intense rain or typhoon.

We have two vital laws to foster climate adaptation and mitigation and disaster resilience. These are Republic Act (RA) 9729, or the “Climate Change Act” and RA 10121 or the “Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act.” Still, integration with local development planning remains a challenge.

During heavy rainfall, water levels in small and medium-sized river basins may rise rapidly and often do not leave enough time for local officials to issue alerts. Insufficient preparation for such recurring events, in addition to limited coping strategies, pose major challenges to local government units (LGUs) and their communities.

Our country, like many other climate-vulnerable ones, faces a huge task of reducing climate change and disaster risks, particularly at the community level. Local chief executives must take the lead in putting in place flood mitigation measures amid worsening extreme weather events.

Our government must undertake a more people-centered approach to decision-making by elaborating policies that highlight sustainable development, approving an inclusive budget that benefits more vulnerable people and promoting nature-based solutions to ensure that all communities are safe from flooding.

The government is challenged to move forward in a balanced and systematic fashion, such that we do not only adapt but come out even stronger and more resilient, to give what is right and just to our people who have long deserved a safer and better life.

Our government must practice enhanced disaster risk reduction and local preparedness more than focusing on responding when a disaster has already occurred. We must make ourselves more proactive and more effective in reducing risks.

Many LGUs have already started investing in flood control infrastructure such as river embankments, pumping stations, floodwalls, drainage systems, canals and flood retention areas. However, this must be done in tandem with non-structural flood mitigation measures.

Early warning systems must be set up for every barangay (village), including the creation of a team of flood volunteers to be mobilized during such emergency situations, and integrate flood mitigation tools in LGU land use plans.

Our LGUs also encounter a lack of risk maps to begin with and the lack of capacity to undertake risk assessment, more so to conduct a cost-benefit analysis on proposed interventions and investments that contributes to their vulnerability. To address this, LGUs must assess the volume of floodwaters, how often flooding occurs, and how much damage they have suffered from the past so that their Comprehensive Land Use Plans and even Local Climate Change Action Plans are responsive.

We must take note that the number of casualties caused by recent typhoons could be due to a lack of risk awareness and proper action by residents as they have not experienced floods of such magnitude in the past. Thus, information dissemination and community disaster preparedness is a crucial part of the effort, because an educated populace will be prepared and know what to do in times of disaster.

The recent disasters remind us to heed the warnings of nature and seriously consider strict implementation of effective flood mitigation measures in communities. This should be a lesson to plan better and to take more concrete steps in responding to climate change.

We must continue to recognize that the climate crisis remains. It is incumbent upon all of us to act together now and reform the way we live and regard our environment so that we all survive and thrive amid the changing climate.

The author is the executive director of the Young Environmental Forum and a nonresident fellow of the Stratbase ADR Institute. He completed his climate change and development course at the University of East Anglia and an executive program on sustainability leadership at Yale University. You can email him at ludwig.federigan@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @WiggyFederigan.