Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has directed the whole of the national government to support the country’s 2026 Global Warming and Climate Change Consciousness Week, a nationwide observance running from 19 to 25 November that puts climate awareness at the centre of public life just as the COP31 climate talks in Antalya enter their final days.
Under Memorandum Circular 140, all national government agencies, including government-owned and controlled corporations and state universities and colleges, have been ordered to take an active part in the week’s programmes and activities. Local government units and the private sector have also been encouraged to extend their support and cooperation.
A whole-of-government observance
The week will be led by the Climate Change Commission, the government’s lead policy-making body on climate change under the Climate Change Act of 2009, as amended in 2012. The Presidential Communications Office has been directed to promote public awareness of the week’s programmes, activities and projects.
The 2026 theme is “Komunidad, Kooperasyon at Koordinasyon para sa Klima” — community, cooperation and coordination for the climate. The theme points to the week’s core idea: climate action works best when communities, government and the private sector move together.
The circular underscores the state’s commitment to protecting the environment, promoting sustainable economic development, safeguarding natural resources for present and future generations, and upholding the people’s constitutional right to a balanced and healthful ecology.
An observance with an 18-year history
The week is not new. Proclamation No. 1667, signed in 2008, declared 19 to 25 November of every year as Global Warming and Climate Change Consciousness Week, calling for broad and intensive public information and education campaigns so that the public and private sectors together find solutions to global warming and climate change.
Each year the Climate Change Commission facilitates a week of activities bringing national and local government, academe, business, non-government organisations, civil society and young people together, with the aim of speeding up progress on both adapting to climate impacts and bending the curve on global emissions.
Key facts
- What: 2026 Global Warming and Climate Change Consciousness Week, Philippines
- When: 19 to 25 November 2026
- Led by: the Climate Change Commission
- Government order: Memorandum Circular 140, directing all national government agencies to participate
- Theme: “Komunidad, Kooperasyon at Koordinasyon para sa Klima”
- Legal basis: Proclamation No. 1667 (2008); Climate Change Act of 2009, as amended in 2012
Why it matters now
The week opens on 19 November, while COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, is in its final days — the talks run from 9 to 20 November 2026. For the Philippines, one of the countries most exposed to typhoons, sea-level rise and extreme heat, the domestic observance is a reminder that global negotiations and everyday awareness belong together: the decisions taken in Antalya must be matched by public understanding and action at home.
For readers following the climate desk’s coverage, the week is also a window on how a climate-vulnerable country organises awareness itself — through schools, universities, local governments and communities, not only through negotiators. More climate coverage is available on the Watan News climate page.
