WRIT

TEN
 REPO
RT
[12 –D Knowledge]
Vhon Alexis D. Lansang
Frencis Erich T. Montemayor
Ysabelle Beatriz G. Munoz
Shinnosuke T. Nakamura
Enjelah Raika E. Neyra
Ethan Carl L. Panganiban
Marcus Angelo K. Pescadero
Janella Marie O. Senorin
Thady Morven T. Tan
Human Adaptation

As human beings we do change, grow, adapt, perhaps even learn and become wiser. Humans
have biological plasticity, or an ability to adapt biologically to our environment.

Adaptation

An adaptation is any variation that can increase one’s biological fitness in a specific
environment; more simply it is the successful interaction of a population with its
environment. Adaptations may be biological or cultural in nature.

Types of Adaptations

1) Biological adaptations vary in their length of time, anywhere from a few seconds for
a reflex to a lifetime for developmental acclimatization or genetics. The biological
changes that occur within an individual’s lifetime are also referred to as functional
adaptations.
Types of Biological Adaptation
a) Short-term acclimatization
- Can occur within seconds of exposure to a stressor.
b) Developmental acclimatization
- Occurs during an individual’s growth and development. It’s also called
ontological acclimatization or developmental adjustment. These cannot take
place once the individual is fully grown. There is usually a “magic time
window” of when the acclimatization can occur. This adaptation can take
months to years to acquire.
 2) Cultural adaptations can occur at any time and may be as simple as putting on a coat
when it is cold or as complicated as engineering, building, and installing a heating
system in a building.

Genetic adaptations

Can occur when a stressor is constant and lasts for many generations (O’Neil 1998-2013).
The presence of the sickle cell allele in some human populations is one example. Keep in
mind that genetic adaptations are environmentally specific. In other words, while a
particular gene may be advantageous to have in one environment (AKA a genetic adaptation),
it may be detrimental to have in another environment.

Stressor

A stressor is anything that disrupts homeostasis, which is a “condition of balance, or

stability, within a biological system…” (Jurmain et al 2013: 322). Stressors can be abiotic,
e.g., climate or high altitude, biotic, e.g., disease, or social, e.g., war and psychological
stress.

Globalization
From notable sociologists and authors, Globalization may be defined as:

"A process of international integration as a product of exchange

of world views, products, ideas, and other aspects of culture in
which worldwide exchange of national and cultural resources
occurs in the process" (Mehlika Fathima).

From notable sociologists and authors, Globalization may be

defined as:

"Increased economic, political, and social

interconnectedness and interdependence among societies
in the world" (Margaret L. Andersen & Howard F. Taylor).

GLOBALIZATION

Globalization is the process in which people, ideas and goods spread throughout the world,
spurring more interaction and integration between the world's cultures, governments and
economies.

Example:
 • ASEAN Integration commenced this 2015 in the Philippines thus expecting less-to-no-
trade barriers among ASEAN nations.

Good Side:

- globalization is all about the efficiencies and opportunities open markets

create.
- Money flows at ease in embracing this kind of system.

Bad Side:

- developed or rich countries reap "more harvests" at the expense of

developing countries.
- People are exposed to culture of the "outsiders" and as a consequence the
eventuality of culture loss.

Climate Change

Climate change is the catch-all term for the shift in worldwide weather phenomena
associated with an increase in global average temperatures. The earth is warming up at a
steady pace. The reason for this is the increase in human-caused greenhouse gases, which
has led to health, ecological and humanitarian crises.

In other words, climate change includes major changes in temperature, precipitation,

or wind patterns, among other effects, that occur over several decades or longer.

Global Warming
A gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally
attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide,
chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants. It is now a big issue for the whole environment
and is caused by mainly by greenhouse effect.

Here are some evidences that global warming is real:

 Carbon Dioxide Increase. Carbon dioxide in our atmosphere has increased at an

unprecedented rate in the past 200 years. The timing of this warming coincides with
the Industrial Revolution, when humans first began massive deforestation and
released carbon dioxide by burning coal, gas, and oil.
 Melting Polar Ice Caps. The polar icecaps are thinning and breaking up at an
alarming rate.
 Melting Glaciers. Glaciers are all retreating at the highest rates ever documented.
Many of those glaciers, especially in the Himalayas, Andes, Alps, and Sierras, provide
most of the freshwater that the populations below the mountains depend upon—yet
this fresh water supply is vanishing.
 Sea Level Rise. All that melted ice eventually ends up in the ocean, causing sea level
to rise, as it has many times in the geologic past.

Causes:
 Fossil Fuels - The massive use of fossil fuels is obviously the first source of global
warming, as burning coal, oil and gas produces carbon dioxide - the most important
greenhouse gas in the atmosphere - as well as nitrous oxide.
 Deforestation - The exploitation of forests has a major role in climate change. Trees
help regulate the climate by absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. When they are cut
down, this positive effect is lost and the carbon stored in the trees is released into
the atmosphere.
 Intensive Farming - Another cause of global warming is intensive farming, not only
with the ever-increasing livestock, but also with plant protection products and
fertilizers. In fact, cattle and sheep produce large amounts of methane when
digesting their food, while fertilizers produce nitrous oxide emissions.
 Waste Disposal - Waste management methods like landfills and incineration emit
greenhouse and toxic gases - including methane - that are released into the
atmosphere, soil and waterways, contributing to the increase of the greenhouse
effect.
 Mining - Modern life is highly dependent on the mining and metallurgical industry.
Metals and minerals are the raw materials used in the construction, transportation
and manufacturing of goods. From extraction to delivery, this market accounts for
5% of all greenhouse gas emissions.
 Overconsumption - Overconsumption also plays a major role in climate change. In
fact, it is responsible for the overexploitation of natural resources and emissions
from international freight transport, which both contributes to global warming.
 Effects:

 On Biodiversity - The increase of temperatures and the climate upheavals disturb

the ecosystems, modify the conditions and cycles of plant reproduction. The scarcity
of resources and climate change are changing life habits and migratory cycles of
animals. We are already witnessing the disappearance of many species - including
endemic species - or, conversely, the intrusion of invasive species that threaten
crops and other animals.
 On Oceans - Permafrost and ice are melting massively at the poles, increasing the
sea level at a rate never known before.
 On Humans - Climate change is affecting the global economy. It is already shaking up
social, health and geopolitical balances in many parts of the world. The scarcity of
resources like food and energy gives rise to new conflicts.
 On the Weather - For decades now, meteorologists and climatologists around the
world have been watching the effects of global warming on the weather phenomena.
And the impact is huge: more droughts and heatwaves, more precipitations, more
natural disasters like floods, hurricanes, storms and wildfires, frost-free season, etc.

Effects of Current Global Warming

1. Weather extremes or more severe weather – very likely to experience abnormal

degree of heat wave and heavy rainfall and will become more frequent.
2. Intensified droughts – a condition when there is a long pattern or trend of drying
and elevated temperature
 3. Distruptions to water supplies – initial excesses followed by shortages
4. Intensified Floods – caused by heavy precipita

Two Main Approaches to Adress Climate Change

 ADAPTATION – refers to adjustment in natural or human systems in response to

actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or
exploits beneficial opportunities.

 MITIGATION – (climate change context) denotes any human intervention which

includes implementing policies to reduce anthropogenic emission sources and
enhance removas by sinks of all greenhouse gases.

Green House Effect

The trapping of the sun's warmth in a planet's lower atmosphere, due to the greater
transparency of the atmosphere to visible radiation from the sun than to infrared radiation
emitted from the planet's surface.
Philippine Policies and Issuances on Climate Change

One of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, the Philippines has adopted policies
in the management of calamities since the 1970s, after Typhoon Sening ravaged the country
in October 1970.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9729

• An Act Mainstreaming Climate Change into Government Policy Formulations,

Establishing the Framework, Strategy and Program on Climate Change, Creating for
this Purpose the Climate Change Commission, and for Other Purposes.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10174

• An act establishing the people's survival fund to provide long-term finance streams
to enable the government to effectively address the problem of climate change,
amending for the purpose republic act no. 9729, otherwise known as the "climate
change act of 2009″, and for other purposes.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10121

• An act strengthening the philippine disaster lusk reduction and management system,
providing for the national disaster risk reduction and management framework and
institutionalizing the national disaster risk reduction and management plan,
appropriating funds therefor and for other purposes.

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 2012-79

 • Institutionalizing and implementing reforms in the philippine mining sector providing
policies and guidelines to ensure environmental protection and responsible mining in
the utilization of mineral resources

Transnational Migration and Overseas Filipino Workers

Migration is an element of demography (a scientific study of population); one of the many

factors in which there is an increase of population. Saluba et al (2015:108 taken from
Sullivan 2007) defined migration as simply a permanent change of residence. Rehn (1991) on
the other hand, defined the term as the relatively permanent movement of people, with the
purpose of changing their place of residence while Benokraitis (2014) termed it as the
movement of people into or out of a specific area.

Possible factors or reasons to migrate are: economic, experiencing financial failure in the
former country and a perception of better economic opportunities in the new country,
racial, and religious bigotry, unstable political conditions and the desire for the reunion of
family (Schaefer 2010). From his study, Opiniano (2007), a Filipino author and researcher,
described the Filipinos overseas migration movements as mainly economic in nature,
whether the movement is for overseas work (thus, temporary in nature), permanent
settlement, or unauthorized or clandestine migration.

Two types of Migration:

•Internal Migration – is the movement from one place to another within a country. A
Filipino who wishes to change residency from Manila to Batanes is an example of Internal
Migration

•International Migration – is the movement of one country to another. An example of this

is a Filipino who joins his/her family in USA for permanent settlement. International
migration comes in two forms:

I) Immigration refers to movement into or entry to a particular country. Koreans who are in
the Philippines with the purpose of permanent settlements are called immigrants.

ii) Emigration refers to movement outside or exit from a particular country. Filipinos who
move out of the Philippines to settle permanently in another country are called emigrants
but once settled there like Canada, they will be called there as immigrants.

Overseas Filipino workers

Many Filipinos are motivated to go abroad in search for a better life, and cling to the
notion of “Filipino Diaspora” is when a Filipino believes that outside the Philippines can he/she
be attained success moreso if the country experiences an absence of economic opportunities
and socio-economic mobility.
According to Fr. Anthtony Paganoni (1984:94), employment overseas provides a safety
valve for those discontented nationals to leave and to seek abroad for the fortune in order to
evade what is felt to be in an unsatisfactory work and life situation at home.
According to Parreñas, author of “Children of Global Migration: Transnational Families
and Gendered Woes,” Filipinos leave their country of origin because of care inequitis or the
disparities in both public and private care resources thus “quality health care, a sturdy roof
over their heads, good schooling, and abundant access to meat are some of the care
resources sought by parents for their children when they migrate and leave these very same
children in the Philippines” ( Parreñas 2006:14).

Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), identified that there are 10,489,628 Overseas
Filipinos as of December, 2013. The table below states the registered numbers of Filipinos
working abroad with its status, world total and percentage.

permanent migrants-are filipino migrants legal permanent residence, abroad, filipino

spouses of foreign nationals, filipino naturalizes in their host country, filipino dual citizens,
and their descendants.

Temporary migrants- are filipinos who stay overseas, while regular and properly
documented, are temporary, owing to the employment related nature of their status in their
host country.

Irregular migrants- are filipinos who are not properly documented or without valid
residence or work permits, or who maybe overstay in a foreign country.
 STOCK ESTIMATE OF OVERSEAS FILIPINOS

As of December 2013

Status World total percentage

Permanent 4,925,797 46.96%

temporary 4,221,041 40.24%

Irregular 1,342,790 12.8%

total 10,489,628 100%

2019

Status World total percentage

Permanent 6,025,594 56.26%

temporary 2,321,041 21.67%

Irregular 2,342,790 21.87%

total 10,711,174 100%

Top 5 countries of destination stock estimate of ofw

Country Total No. of OFW

United state of America 3,535,676

Saudi arabia 1,028,802

United arab emirates 822,410

Malaysia 793,580

Canada 721,578
References:

Echano, J. (2017).New challenges to human adaption and social change.

Retrieved from https://prezi.com/9zty_vuj8h1e/new-challenges-to-human-
adaption-and-social-change/

Human adaptation. (2017). Retrieved from

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/culturalanthropology/chapter/human-
adaptations/

Prothero, D. R. (2008). How we know global warming is real and human

caused. Retrieved from https://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/12-02-
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Solutions to global warming: how to stop climate change. (n.d.). Retrieved

from https://solarimpulse.com/global-warming-
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