The  Philippines  suffers  major  human caused  environmental  degradation  aggravated by  a  high  annual  population  growth  rate,  including  loss  of  agricultural  lands, deforestation,  soil  erosion,  air  and  water pollution,  improper  disposal  of  solid and toxic  wastes,  loss  of  coral  reefs,  mismanagement  and  abuse  of  coastal  areas.

Recent  scientific  studies  reveal  that  human  activities  have  contributed  significantly  to the  increase  of  greenhouse  gases  in  the  atmosphere  that  causes  climate  change.

The  International  Rice  Research  Institute  (IRRI)  estimates  that  it  takes  4000  liters  of water  to  produce  one  kilo  of  rice.  Because  of  the  loss  of  the  forests  we  have  less water  since  most  of  our  freshwater  comes  from  water sheds  found  in  forests. Therefore  loss  of  forests  means  no  food.