About the Course:
The course provides an introduction to the basic concepts of climate change and its impacts on health, agriculture, forestry, water resources, coastal areas, plant and animal species, and natural areas. It covers the different factors affecting climate change, including greenhouse gases, the greenhouse effect, global warming, and how they impact the climate. Furthermore, the course also presents the different initiatives to address climate change, both at the international level and at the country level. These initiatives include the establishment of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and important agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement, and Reducing Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+).
Along with these agreements, the course also discusses country-level initiatives such as the Nationally Determined Contributions, including the national contribution of the Philippines. Finally, one of the national initiatives of the Philippines to address climate change, called Climate Smart Agriculture, is also discussed.
About the Course:
The Philippines is hailed as one of the paradises of biodiversity. It is home to many endemic and endangered wildlife species. Currently, several efforts have been conducted by the government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to protect and conserve our valuable natural resources. Wildlife conservation is the practice of protecting animal species and their habitats. It is achieved by the cooperation of scientists, policy makers, and the local community. There is a need for policy makers to use science-based evidence to create an effective evidence-based policy for wildlife conservation. One of these science-based approaches is Genomics. Genomics can answer questions that the human eye cannot observe immediately. Therefore, this course is to help us further understand how genomics can help in wildlife conservation.