Surigao del Norte can be found in the northeastern side of Mindanao, surrounded by the Dinagat Islands. The province has a land area of 1,972.9 km², with the mainland comprising of mountains, and with its islands containing many caves and tunnels. Its capital is Surigao City, with 20 municipalities, 335 barangays, and made up of the 1^st and 2^nd districts.

 

The climate reaches at an average of around 30°C and a low of around 24°C, with rainfall being frequent during the months of November to January. Though, it rains on an average of 181 days a year.

In 2020, the population census was 534,636. Around 96% speak Surigaonon as their first language, with majority adopting Tagalog and English as second languages. A small minority speak Waray, Kamayo, and Manobo. Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion with up to 60% of the people, 30% are Iglesia Filipina Independiente, and 10% for Protestant Churches.

Surigao del Norte is the major ecotourism destination, fishery producer, and mineral-based processing industrial center of the region. It is also noted for its wood based economy, extensive water resources, with major crops such as palay, banana, and coconut.

Climate change has become drastic in the past years, strongly affecting the lives of the people. The average global temperature increased by .85°C in only about 130 years of human activity. Carbon dioxide emission has increased by 50% in just 30 years, with the years 2000-2010 the most crucial years of emission growth. This has caused oceans to warm and with the ice caps melting, this has caused sea levels to increase. 

An unknown carbon villain that’s in front of everyone’s eyes is cement, which is what thousands of homes are made of. Limestone needs to be heated to more than 2,700 degrees which in turn releases a huge amount of CO2. That is why a new technology has been made, where a new type of cement that recycles discarded industrial wastes like fly ash can be fired at a lower temperature. This reduces carbon emission by 1/3. This technology can decrease annual CO2 emissions by 1.5 gigatons a year, and people in the Philippines already have access to this technology in the market. The downside is that it still causes an efficient amount of CO2 being released, and families may have financial concerns regarding the use of cement to build their houses. 

However, over 30% of the world’s fish are overexploited. Marine pollution because of land-based materials (e.g. plastics) have caused a rise in ocean acidification. Over 40% of oceans are heavily affected by pollution, depleted fisheries, and loss of coastal habitats. 

Recent technology advancements such as glass/metal straws and reusable flasks have grown in popularity and can be found everywhere in the market. This can reduce overall plastic waste. Although, many families who have business that use the mass-production of plastic products won’t exactly be able to afford such alternatives. For example, tons of sari-sari stores and palengkes heavily rely on plastic bags. Additionally, production of these metal straws and reusable alternatives may increase carbon emissions, with one metal straw equivalent to producing 150 plastic straws. Given this, a person may have to use their metal straws more than 150 times to really get the item’s worth.