Facebook has announced the expansion of its Climate Science Center to more than 100 countries including the Philippines, connecting Filipinos with factual resources from the world’s leading climate organizations and the actionable steps they can take in their everyday lives to combat climate change.
To better understand attitudes, knowledge, behaviors, and policy preferences, as well as how views vary across the world, Facebook partnered with the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication to do a survey of people on Facebook in 30 countries and territories and ask them about their views on climate change.
The survey found that climate change is very important to Filipinos, with 78 percent saying that climate change is “extremely” or “very important” to them personally, while more than 8 in 10 Filipinos say they are “somewhat worried” or “very worried” about climate change. Filipinos also want to learn more about the issue, with nearly 9 in 10 saying they want more information about climate change.
Climate change is also a policy priority, with nearly 9 in 10 Filipinos supporting the country’s participation in the Paris Climate Agreement. Moreover, more than 7 in 10 Filipinos say that climate change should be a high or very high priority for the government, with more than 6 in 10 saying they want the government to do more to address it.
There is also overwhelming support for renewable energy, with more than 7 in 10 people saying they think the Philippines should use more renewable sources of energy. Seventy-six percent of Filipinos also think that action to reduce climate change will improve economic growth and provide new jobs.
In fact, more than 2 million people in the Philippines have been talking about environmental conservation on Facebook in the last 90 days; the three most popular topics around environmental conservation include: Sustainable Living, Wildlife Conservation, and Environmental Destruction. Moreover, more than 1 million Filipinos are part of at least one of the 7,000 Facebook groups dedicated to the discovery, protection and appreciation of the earth and our environment.
Social media companies have the power to connect people with each other to make a difference at scale, amplify marginalized voices, and share powerful information. Everyday, people use social media to raise awareness, organize for action, and make their voices heard on a wide range of environmental issues. Through the Climate Science Center, Facebook plays its part by helping people find accurate, science-led information, while also tackling misinformation.
