Climate Change in The Philippines

The Philippines has experienced temperature spikes brought about by climate change. It has been observed that warming is experienced most in the northern and southern regions of the country, while Metro Manila has warmed less than most parts. In addition, the regions that have warmed the most (northern u!on, Mindanao" have also dried the most. argest precipitation trends are about #$ percent during the %$th century.

&ot days and hot nights have become more fre'uent. (xtreme weather events have also occurred more fre'uently since #)*$. These include deadly and damaging typhoons, floods, landslides, severe (l +i,o and a +i,a events, drought, and forest fires. -dversely affected sectors include agriculture, fresh water, coastal and marine resources and health.

Climate change and Philippine deforestation

Published : Sunday, November 20, 2011 01:41 Article Views : 2,3 4

REFLECTIONS Fr. Shay Cullen THE greatest hope we have for saving our planet from catastrophe is the dedication of those environmentalists and scientists who love creation and work tirelessly to protect it from the irresponsible tycoons of industry and corrupt politicians who cause global warming. Many choose to deny the scientific evidence that climate change is underway and damaging our world. They only have to ask the people of Bangkok why they are experiencing the worst floods in living memory. Millions of people around the world are suffering from severe deprivation, disease and death because of the extremes of climate change caused by prolonged droughts, intense storms, cyclones, and raging hurricanes. There is one vital number !"# that is going to determine the future of every living creature on our planet. $ike it or not, believe it or not, the

concentration of %&' in our atmosphere is increasing daily. (t is now at that dangerous level of !"# parts per million )ppm*. This heavy concentration is too much already and the planet is reaching a tipping point where there will be no way to reverse the trend. The number +,# ppm is our absolute limit. The scientists, environmentalists and other knowledgeable people who have studied global warming say that concentration of %&' has to be reduced to !,# ppm for us to avert a global disaster. The human race needs to reali-e that there is an environmental and climatic disaster underway as the Earth heats up and global temperature edges upward to the two.percent centigrade rise. This is essential to prevent ourselves from reaching the point of no return. /cidification of the oceans will surely kill millions of fish and marine life and the melting of the arctic ice sheet will be irreversible and will bring on that destructive rise in sea levels. 0itness the recent break.off of a huge slab of the /ntarctic glacier, a piece the si-e of Manhattan. (n Bangladesh, !# million people were displaced last year due to floods, and tens of millions more will be displaced in the coming years. 0ith rising sea levels, it will reach one meter in the next ten to twenty years. They are forecasting catastrophic effects of climate change and the government is demanding compensation from the highest polluting countries. /ustralia has passed a law compelling polluting industries to pay for the pollution they cause. (n the 1hilippines, only nine percent of the original forest cover remains but this is being illegally logged and hacked to death by loggers who flout the law and act with impunity and protected by corrupt politicians who fund their reelection with the proceeds. Hypocritically, their reelection propaganda usually says that they will fight corruption, end impunity and give environmental protection top priority. 2ilipino environmentalists and anti.mining advocates were outraged recently when the chief of the Mines and 3eosciences Bureau )M3B*, $eo

4asareno, announced during a mining conference that 1resident Benigno /5uino !rd had given mining corporations an exemption from the strict Executive &rder '! )E&'!* forbidding the cutting of trees in natural and residual forests, provided that they would 6oin the 7ational 3reening program that aimed to plant 8., million trees in the next six years. The &ffice of the 1resident has denied the report and said that Mr. /5uino only announced the names of the six companies that already had exemptions. This is a troubling revelation. 7o exemptions ought to be given and large.scale open.pit mining must be stopped. E& &rder '! is the only bulwark that is holding back the waiting chain. saw gangs of the loggers and insatiable desires of the mining corporations. They want to get their hands on the minerals under the forests. That means large.scale deforestation and related environmental and human disasters like landslides, river and sea poisoning, dangerous dams holding back toxic mining sludge, loss for ancestral land rights, and loss of farming land and natural water sources. The burning of cleared forests causes a huge release of %&' and other greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, resulting in a whopping 89 percent of all gasses released worldwide and e5ual to all the gasses released by almost every vehicle, plane or ship in the world. To make matters worse, the loss of the trees themselves will leave huge amounts of %&' unabsorbed. 2orest trees are the %&' sponges of the planet. ( am not sure if the '###, two.meter tall, grafted fruit tree saplings that ( plant annually through the 1reda 2air Trade will be of any help, but it will offset the emissions ( create. /ll of us can do something to stop deforestation and planting a tree is a good start to heal a wounded planet.
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Impacts of Climate Change to Philippines Marine Ecosystem

.eventy percent of Philippine communities are located in coastal areas thus The Philippines is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The increase in temperature is already is causing irregular monsoon and extreme weather events in recent decades that devastate the fishery sectors. The warming of sea water often associated with (l +i,o episodes have caused coral bleaching on massive scales never seen before. In the Philippines, the case of the (l +ido reefs is instructive. /espite being one of the better managed reefs in the country, what used to be a diverse reef with 0$12$3 coral cover is now down to 41#$3 after the devastating coral bleaching event during the #))21#))* (l +i,o. It has not recovered to date. +ationwide, the #))* coral bleaching event decreased live coral cover by as much as 5)3. The sea surface temperature (..T" in 6olinao during the same period ranged between 75.# 89 to 75.) 89, killing a large number of giant clams. Moreover, the increased concentration of dissolved 9:% in seawater will lower its p&, which in turn will alter ocean carbonate chemistry resulting to decreased calcification in corals, mollusks and other shell1forming organisms. &igh ..Ts also trigger algal blooms that cause red tides as well as fish kills. ;urther, high ..Ts disturb upwelling, depriving fish of vital nutrients necessary for survival and growth. These climate1related impacts will devastate Philippine fisheries and the mercury and lead emissions from coal1fired power plants, particularly in the inner seas of the <isayas will probably render whatever remains of our fisheries unfit for human consumption. The advent of climate change =ust made the challenges to our mission more complex.

7 RESPONSES
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Jeselle on October 29th, 2009:

The effects of climate change are really devastating. Is there any way wherein we could reduce the effects? limate change is but a natural earth !rocess over millions of years and i am sure we could co!e u! with it and ada!t.

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jesselle on "!ril #th, 20$0:

how could we alleviate the im!acts of the climate change ? im thin%ing of the easiest way which everybody can contribute ??

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Ma. estrella Luz R. Pealoza on &ay '$st, 20$0:

limate change is indeed real, as our advocacy at ()*", we can ada!t to it. It should start in our home, ourselves. it all starts in us. reuse, reduce and recycle, saving water and electricity are measures that we can all do and it begins at home+ I !ractice reusing and recycling by segregating our wastes such that most of our garbage are all bio,degradable. !lastic containers are segregated and consolidated. I sell it to !lastic collectors and use the !roceeds for fare and baon for my son. sometimes we can buy food !a for lunch out from the earnings. then the !lastic bags, I %ee! it and use it as garbage bags for our garbage bins. though how i wish we will not use !lastic bags anymore+ sometimes, street children as% for food and anything, i told them to !ic% u! the !lastic containers in our house for them to sell it+ those sim!le ways if many of us will do the same, we can at least minimi-e the effects of climate change, besides it.s us, human beings that caused most of the world.s devastation.

4#

Lanie on (ovember $/th, 20$0:

It.s about time we consolidate our efforts,there are many things that we could do and we can start in our very homes. 0euse, reuse, recycle are the things we have satrted doing. 1e should start rebuy recycled !roducts to su!!ort those who do it. &any of us cannot recycle because we are em!loyed, and many of the recyclable wastes we sell them raw. 2o, we must su!!ort those who recycle for us.

$#

keerinee on &arch $3th, 20$$:

1e.re now suffering from climate change. "ll creatures in earth are affected due to this !henomenon. 1e cannot easily alleviate this !roblem because we cause too much damage. 2olutions may ta%e more time. 1e must %now that all things here on earth have their limitations. 1e should %now how to control ourselves+ 4et us give attention to our mother )arth..It.s for our own safe.:5

%#

eltoro21 on (ovember 'rd, 20$$:

1e read everyday from different sources the above %ind of observations and analysis as to the effects of 6lobal warming, but we do not read s!ecific and concrete !rogram to! really address the !roblem. )very %nowledgeable individual agrees that the main source of to7ic greenhouse gasses are the Trans!ort sector 84and, 2ea, "ir5, 9un%er fuel users and oal, fired !ower !lants. 9ut what is our government doing? 2ince we can not live without the above to7ic emitters, I strongly suggest that the leadershi! must now invite all :hili!!ine inventors and wor% with them in coming out with the best invention that can really reduce to7ic emission and !ossibly even cure those already in the air. 9esides solving to7ic emission in our country, our country can even ma%e enough funds from arbon redit Trading which is now at ;'# to ;'< !er tonne. 2im!le com!utation may suggest that of the 3 million vehicles !lying our streets consuming an average # liters each with 2./ %g of O2 emitted !er liter, we run into millions of O2 emitted into the air. 0educing that by '0 to #0 !ercent is enough money from arbon redit Trading. I a!!reciate the concern, the beautiful !resentations and informations !ublished every now and then by the different agencies, but again, I see no s!ecific and concrete solution which should really address 6lobal warming. )very delay means =1e might be the first generation to !ass on to our heirs, a !lanet, no more conducive to life>.

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JUAN S. SUM !LLO on ?anuary $<th, 20$2:

In recent years, <.# gigatons of carbon dio7ide is de!osited and accumulated into the atomos!here annually. @rom 2/0 !!m in year $200 it is now /00 !!m. One gigtaton of O2 is eAual to the weight of one cubic %ilometer of water and one !art !er million or !!m is eAual to /.$/$/ gigtatons. The !roblem would have been easily solved if the farmers refrained themselves from the !ractice of burning their agricultural waste. 1hen rice stal%s gets burned the O2 that has been seAuestered is returned into the atmos!here. 0ice !lantation has been found to have seAuestered ' gigatons of O2 annually while corn seAuestered #.# gigatons of O2 anually. This message comes from the author of @" T2 "(* @I6B0) I( 64O9"4 1"0&I(6 which can be accessed in 6oogle by sim!ly registering ?B"( 2B&9I44O.

Climate change its effects in the Philippines

-. - M-TT(> :; ;-9T 6y .ara .oliven /e ?u!man (The Philippine .tar" @pdated +ovember #4, %$#$ #%A$$ -M

I had the pleasure of listening to the former @. president 6ill 9linton in his talk, B(mbracing :ur 9ommon &umanityC last Dednesday at the Manila &otel. It was inspiring to hear encouraging words coming from a powerful man E that ;ilipinos have done great all around the world. &e said that we are smart enough to know what to do and that our huge population should be a positive factor that can lead us to where we want to go. De =ust need to know exactly what we want and the direction we want to take. I was particularly interested in his discussion of our natural resources. &e mentioned the great potential of our countryFs geothermal resource. &e said, B6ased on personal experience, about )2 percent of the worldFs climate scientists are saying that global warming and climate change are real. -nd that the whole economic model could crumble unless we figure ways to sustain the growth of wind and geothermal resources. ThatFs why IFm predicting that in the next #$ years, the Philippines will be flooded by people studying geothermal resources. .o you have to try and speed up power and keep it going.C 6y the way, the Philippines is currently ranked as the worldFs second largest developer of geothermal energy. The country is positioned in what many refer to as the Pacific >ing of ;ire. De have several active volcanoes and the country is surrounded by both the Pacific :cean and some parts of the Indian :cean. Most of these areas have abundant resources. It spells out our significant advantage on geothermal energy. ?eothermal energy is renewable energy that can reduce dependence on fossil fuels. It has the ability to reduce harmful pollution from energy production and consumption and reduce emission of greenhouse gases. -t present, #2 percent of the countryFs energy is generated from geothermal energy. It represents a total of % gigawatts (?D" of energy (base on government reports in %$$)". The government has set a goal to increase this figure by year %$%$ from % ?D to 5.4 ?D from geothermal energy. If this measure works it will double our renewable energy usage. The governmentFs strategy of providing tariff exemptions and tax holidays for renewable power pro=ects to attract investors is laudable. In the past three months, a total of *2 contracts have been signed to #* companies. -nd as geothermal energy continues to grow in the next few years, then perhaps we can say that 9lintonFs prediction may become a reality. G G G The Philippines has been experiencing temperature stings brought about by climate change. >eports say that extreme weather events have occurred more fre'uently since #)*$. These include deadly and damaging typhoons, floods, landslides, severe (l +i,o, a +i,a events, earth'uakes, droughts and forest fires. 6adly affected sectors include agriculture, fresh water, coastal and marine resources and health. In a research done by Mud=ekeewis /. .antos Ph./., :I9 of the Marine ;isheries >esearch /ivision, he stated that -frican and .outheast -sian countries are most economically vulnerable to climate change impacts in fisheries resources.

The Philippines is the *th top fish producing country in the world with 2$ percent of the communities located in coastal areasH #$th in a'uaculture production and 7rd in a'uatic plants production. .eventy percent of our protein diet also comes from fish. -s the center of marine biodiversity in the world, we have the highest number of marine organisms. 9limate change has brought about a dismal picture of these resources. .ea surface temperatures pro=ected to reach #17 degrees centigrade by the end of the century will cause fishes to move to cooler areas reducing fish supplies for people in the 9oral Triangle region including the Philippines. Dith the doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide, corals become more fragile. The pro=ected rise of 7$10$ cm by %#$$ in sea level with ice melting 510 meters by %#$$, will cause the flooding of low islands and low lying areas will result in land erosion, sea water intrusion in coastal land areas, population displacement and landward growth movement of mangroves. The increase in the fre'uency of tropical cyclones in our country will weaken the skeletal framework of corals, accelerate erosion of our beautiful beaches and prevent normal harvest of marine species including fish species used as food.

This study further recommends that government should adapt measures to lessen the impact of climate change on our a'uatic ecosystem and fisheries. It should strengthen planning and policy formation for the conservation and rehabilitation of habitatsH enhance information and education campaigns on conserving, restoring and maintaining biodiversityH encourage the institutionali!ation of good practice and mechanism of co1management in local fisheries communitiesH recogni!e and empower the youth and women in generating income from fisheries1related activities and access to non1fishing livelihoodH set up weather warning system accessible to fishermenH improve vessel stability and safety communicationsH mandatory training of fishermen on safety of life at seaH and rehabilitate coastal fisheries so as to reduce the need to fish offshore. G G G In his speech, 9linton noted that we should develop an attitude of hope and aspiration. &e said, BDe have to make a united and conscious effort to move forward and focus on education, health care and the environment if we want to live fully in the %#st centuryIDe are at the dawn of a whole new age of our history. .ingapore succeeded in a short time because they are a smaller country. 9hina got into high gear in development sooner because they are a much more authoritarian nation.C &e poignantly said, BI wouldnFt worry about why you havenFt gotten there. I would worry about the kind of basic ideas that would be driven home to get where you want to go because you can do that. ThereFs no doubt in my mind about that.C 9limate change is real. It is obviously happening in the Philippines. De know its effects on our environment. ?overnment, big and small industries should get a common act together. De must not waste timeI we should act nowJ

G G G ast .aturday, I got a call saying my @ncle <ic (youngest brother of my dad, Maximo <. .oliven" passed away. My @ncle <ic for all his eccentricities was a visionary and a dreamer. &e was one of the pioneers of real1estate business in the country. Popularly known as <.<. .oliven, he constructed the <.<. .oliven tower in (/.- (corner -nnapolis .treet", which has become a landmark of the (/.- People Power revolution. &e was a strong catalyst (in the late seventies and early eighties" who brought about the age of real estate development in the country into full swing. ;arewell @ncle <ic. >est now, the gates of heaven have opened for you. I am sure grandpa 6enito and grandma Pelagia together with your brothers and sisters who have gone before you have already welcomed you into ?odFs kingdom. (<ictorio <illaflor .olivenFs body will lie in state at .ta. Maria /ella .trada, >esurrection 9hapel, Katipunan, L.9., until the funeral mass on .unday, +ovember %# at * in the morning".