The Philippines faces a wide array of severe environmental challenges, including extensive pollution, mining, logging, and significant biodiversity loss, all exacerbated by the impacts of global warming and climate change. As one of the most vulnerable nations, it lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, making it prone to natural disasters like typhoons; in 2021, it ranked as the fourth most affected country by "weather-related loss events," highlighted by the devastating Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in 2013 that killed 6,300 people.

Deforestation is a particularly acute problem, with forest cover plummeting from 70% to just 20% over the 20th century, largely due to unsustainable logging, mining, and land conversion, a crisis compounded by short-sighted government policies. Although the country has enacted significant legislation like the Clean Air Act of 1999 and the Climate Change Act of 2009, and is a signatory to the Paris Agreement, enforcement remains challenging, public awareness is uneven, and the nation grapples with one of the highest percentages of climate change denialists globally. Tragically, the Philippines is also recognized as one of the most dangerous places for environmental activists, particularly Indigenous communities, who frequently face violence and murder for their efforts to protect the environment.