n our previous discussion we mentioned Heraclitus’ famous saying on change, “the only thing

that is constant in this world is CHANGE.”

Now, a change or the process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited
to its environment is called adaptation. This also refers to the action or process of adapting or
being adapted or the process of changing to suit different conditions. Adaptations enhance the
fitness and survival of everyone. Adaptation is not always easy and not something simple. An
individual or organism must be physically fit and viable at all stages of its development
evolution to be able to survive.

Every living being should possess adaptation traits which may be classified into three:

 Structural Adaptations - are physical features of an organism such as shape, body

covering, armament; and even the internal organization (e.g. a penguin has blubbered to
protect itself from freezing temperatures).
 Behavioural Adaptations - are composed of inherited behaviour chains and/or the
ability to learn (e.g. bears hibernate in winter to escape the cold temperature and preserve
energy).
 Physiological adaptations - permit the organism to perform special functions like venom
(in the snakes and the like), secreting slime, phototropism; and more general functions
such as growth and development, temperature regulation and ionic balance.

This means that adaptation is making adjustments to decisions and activities in order to manage
risks and capture potential opportunities brought about by any changes in the environment such
as global warming and climate change.

The ability of humans to be able to rapidly adapt to varying environmental conditions and
changes has made it possible for them to survive in any region or place anywhere in the world.
They can normally adapt to environmental changes in several ways such as:

A) Genetic change - is an inherited or acquired modification in organisms that makes them
better suited to survive and a particular environment.

For instance, people whose ancestors have lived in areas that had endemic, malaria for thousands
of years often inherit some degree of immunity to this serious disease.

B) Developmental adjustments - One of the more powerful types of adjustments to

environmental stresses is a change in growth patterns and development.

This occurs in childhood and typically results in anatomical and/or physiological changes that
are mostly irreversible in adulthood. An example of the latter was the now illegal custom in
China of tightly wrapping or binding the feet of young girls with cloth in order to hinder normal
growth. While this caused permanent, crippling deformities of the foot bones, it also resulted in
extremely tiny feet which were considered to be very attractive. Parents crippled their daughters
with good intentions. Small feet would make them more attractive marriage partners for rich
important men and save them from a life of drudgery.

C) Acclimatization and cultural practices - All other forms of adjustment to environmental

stresses are usually reversible whether they occur in childhood or adulthood. These reversible
changes are referred to as acclimatization or acclimatory adjustment. It is useful to consider
the different forms of acclimatization in terms of the length of time over which they can occur.
An example of long-term acclimatization is people who lose excess body fat and are very slender
as a result of mild, long-term undernourishment. If they later increase their diet to a consistent
level of excessive calories, they will very likely retain more body fat and eventually become
obese.

D) Use of technology - Humans do not only interact with their environments biologically.
People invented technological aids that allowed us to occupy new environments without having
to first evolve biological adaptations to them. Houses, clothing, and fire permitted us to live in
temperate and, ultimately, arctic regions despite the fact we still essentially have the bodies of
tropical animals. Human-made technology eliminates the biological adaptive advantages of
particular individuals or groups. People who have thicker layers of fat insulation under their skin
still usually survive better in cold climates, while people who are slender do better in hot ones.

GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE

 Societies had faced and continuously faced 3 important challenges: Global Warming and
Climate Change, Migration and Conflicts. These Phenomena posed great challenges to human
adaptations.

Global Warming and Climate Change: They are often used interchangeably. They refer to
extreme or drastic changes in climate patterns all over the world. These changes are attributed to
certain human practices such as the use of fossil fuel, rampant logging, pollution, and the use of
certain chemicals called the greenhouse effect.

Climate change is commonly referring to “the rise in average surface temperatures on earth
due to burning of fossil fuels.”

1. Common Effects of Climate Change: Warming of ocean waters that causes an increase

in Strong Storms or Cyclones (Example: Typhoon Yolanda). Deforestation has resulted
in the displacement of many indigenous peoples or communities, Drastic changes in
climate weather patterns that have affected the livelihood of many agricultural
communities; Severe flooding, the rise of climate refugees, etc.
2. Addressing the impact of Climate Change

Adaptation to global warming and climate change will be needed, but it will not be as simple as
it seems to be. Global warming is still an unsolved issue. There are different programs
implemented to avoid global warming and climate change. These actions seek to lessen the
vulnerability of all social and biological systems to the current and immediate issue of climate
change. But, in reality, is, even if emissions are stabilized relatively soon, global warming and its
effects will definitely still last many years from now. And as the human population will increase
in number and more people are living in highly arranged societies, there is a greater impact of
global warming, the more difficult adaptation will be.

Mitigation is another term for adaptation to climate change which is defined as technological
change and substitution that reduces resource inputs and emissions per unit of output. Several
ways of mitigation include the following:

1. A) Using efficient energy generation technology

2. B) Using more efficient energy end-user technology.
3. C) Replacing fossil fuels with none or low carbon-emitting energy-generating technology
such as renewable energy sources or nuclear energy.
4. D) Adopting a more sustainable natural resource management.
5. E) Harvesting or extraction technologies and practice.

Other than mitigation thru the promotion and practice of sustainable energy resources (Solar
Power & Wind Power) There are a lot of environmental campaigns and advocacies that are for
the adoption of government policies.

An important aspect in responding to these great challenges of climate change is Information

and Awareness thru the use of media and technology.

So, from here we can say that Adaptation is a broader one than mitigation because adaptation
requires a good understanding of the natural environment and the ongoing effects of climate
change within and needs thorough earth and environmental observation.

ETHNIC, RELIGIOUS AND IDEOLOGICAL CONFLICTS

CONFLICT

 According to Max Weber, it is when one person or party intentionally carries out an
action or deed against one party against another.
 There could be two major causes of conflicts:
o GREED - causes conflict because of economic deprivation which drives people to
engage in violent conflict.
o GRIEVANCE – the conflicts it causes are influenced largely by identity issues,
such as the desire to gain recognition for one’s religion or ethnicity.

Conflicts caused by issues of identity and ethnicity are called:

 Ethnic and Religious Conflicts – brought about by religious differences (example: 30

years of war between protestant and Christians)
 While Ideological Conflicts - are brought about by disparities in certain beliefs or views.
((Example: The armed struggle between Communist Party of the Philippines and the
National Government)
 According to Johan Galtung Conflicts can be resolved in 2 ways:
 o Peaceful means – Positive Peace (

The peacemaking activities which refer to the agreement between conflicting

parties that are often mediated by 3rd party negotiators

o Use of force/violence – Negative Peace (Absence of Conflict after War, which

may not truly resolve the conflict but simply lead to the re-emergence of conflict
in the future)

III. MIGRATION

Migration is the movement of people from one place to another for the purpose of temporary or
permanent residence. The movement is often over long distances and from one country to
another, or it can be within the immediate community. Migration can also be done by
individuals, family units or in larger groups. There are three types of mobility or migration
namely:

A) International Migration is the permanent transfer of residence from one country to another.
It is the change of residence over national boundaries. An international migrant is someone who
moves to a different country. International migrants can be further classified as legal immigrants,
illegal immigrants and refugees. Legal immigrants are those who moved with the legal
permission of the receiver nation. Illegal immigrants are those who moved without legal
permission, and refugees are those who crossed an international boundary to escape persecution.

B) Internal Migration is a change in residence within a country and refers to a change of

residence within national boundaries, such as between states, provinces, cities, or municipalities.
An internal migrant is someone who moves to a different administrative territory.

C) Circulation Migration is a temporary movement of a person. The change in residence is

temporary due to work or study, but the migrant will definitely return to his home community.

Migration is not a one-way street. There are reasons why people transfer from one residence to
another because they just want to. Sometimes, people relocate to other places or countries in the
hope of finding a greener pasture.

A new form of migration is termed transnational migration. These are the people who have
migrated from one nation-state to another live their lives across borders, participating
simultaneously in social relations that embed them in more than one nation-state are
called transnational migrants. Not all migrants can be considered as transnational migrants, and
not all who take part in transnational practices do so all the time.

Most migrants are occasional transnational activists. They are more focused on their countries of
origin while at others they are more involved in their countries of reception. (Example: OFWs)
Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) is a person of Filipino origin who works and lives outside the
country. This term applies to Filipinos who are abroad indefinitely as citizens or as permanent
residents of a different country and to those Filipino citizens who are abroad for a limited,
definite period as workers or as students.

What are the effects on the family of migrants?

Work migration is increasing globally. Children of migrant workers have grown up not knowing
both of their parents and have experienced long term absence of parents which is the reason why
there is very little affection between them. Many family relationships are broken as one parent
emigrates which causes a larger proportion of children growing up with divorced or separated
parents.

Some families experiencing these effects on families of migrants want to avoid getting into this
situation; some Filipinos do not have much choice because of very limited job opportunities in
the country. Filipinos believe that they and their family will have a bigger chance of having a
better future if they work abroad. To keep in touch with their family, OFWs use available social
media platforms to keep in touch with their family.

Today’s societies face significant challenges such as climate change, conflicts, and social issues
brought about by migration. Societies and governments continually search for ways to address
these issues and provide solutions that will benefit them.