1

Climate change & povertyare

“The two defining challenges of this century.”

There is hardly anything the Philippines can do to prevent climate change.

Our survival chance is to focus on reducing poverty.

S&T performance is measured by numberof papers published in peer-reviewed international journals (valid publication).

2. RP’s adaptive potential

Indicated by S&T performanceand National progress

Or ISI-indexed or covered in: Science Citation Index (3,770 journals)

Social Sciences Citation Index (2,700) Arts and Humanities Citation Index (1,470)

YearsStudies

completed No. papers produced

% valid publications

1987-92 UPV 214 8

1991-93 UPD 399 5

Low percentages of properly published studies

S&T performance

National progress

1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

Newsletters & proceedings articles(Gray literature)

Project report or thesis

Data gathering Publication(peer review)

Proposal

Journal article

(verification)

Right and wrong ways of doing research

New teaching methods

To understand the effects of vital issues like climate change, innovative

education will play a critical role.

• Innovative STEM teaching in the US. Entire department is the unit of change.

• Inquiry-based science education in EU.

• E-textbook: Online teaching & learning.

Features

• The principal criterion of faculty recruitment & promotion is research.

• Emphasis is graduate education.

Developing research universities

For training faculty of other universities,which in turn will provide better prepared teachers at secondary and primary levels.

Teaching and research

The relationship between the two has long been established.

• The two are positively correlated — teaching effectiveness benefits from research activity.

• Research and teaching as joint activity is central to the idea of the modern university.

• These two activities are so mutually reinforcing that they must coexist in the same institutions.

The key is valid publication for the:

• Evaluator to do evaluation • Proponent to get research grant • Researcher to get recognition • PhD student to get the degree • etc.

PhD vs publication

Graduate degree: indicator of capability.

Valid publication: indicator of performance.

Concluding statements

Other public expenditure can be postponed,but delaying measures to mitigate climate impacts “is a high-risk, high-cost option.”

We should be prepared and do what must be done. We hardly have better alternatives.

Decisions on appointments, funding, and performance should be based on

objective assessment.

florlaca @ gmail.com