The scientists and experts have unequivocally concluded that the earth’s weather patterns have been changing, and that human activity is to blame. Unless we humans ourselves change our habits and practices on both a global and local scale, forecasts are dire for a future of freak storms and droughts, rising sea levels, and diminishing crop yields.
Al Gore’s “The Inconvenient Truth” did much to remind the world that the earth is heating up. For the first time, the issue of global warming was brought to the forefront of public discussion. Although already an issue that has haunted the world for decades, it has not seeped into the general public’s consciousness until lately.
Last Feb. 2, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued another report, their fourth installment following earlier reports since 1988 when the IPCC started and every six years thereafter. This 2007 report highlights in more definite terms that the global evidence for climate change is “unequivocal”, predicting an average global rise in temperature of 1.8 to 4.0 degrees by 2100.
Called “Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis”, the 20-page report warned of the consequential damages brought about global warming such as rising sea level due to melting ice caps (a predicted 7.1 to 23.3 inches by 2100), heat waves, droughts (linked with higher temperatures and decreased precipitation particularly in the tropics such as the Philippines) and heavy rainfall and storms. These disasters would be of apocalyptic proportions, as analysts claim.
Another set of summarized findings vindicates the already widely-accepted thesis that the unprecedented rise in the earth’s surface temperature is caused by human activity. Such evidence shifts the focus on the debate from whether climate change is a fact or fiction to pressure towards the policymakers to be proactive in their responses.
What is Climate Change?
On their website, the United States Environmental Protection Agency defines climate change as “any significant change in measures of climate, such as temperature, precipitation or wind lasting for an extended period. Used interchangeably with global warming, climate change is the preferred terminology by the National Academy of Sciences because it clarifies the possibilities of other changes apart from rising temperatures.
Climate change is an effect brought about by the greenhouse effect, a consequence wherein the burning of fossil fuels and certain gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide trap the heat within the earth’s atmosphere instead of the heat radiating back to space.
Normally, this series of events is not harmful; and even necessary to contain a certain warmth level from escaping to space. Yet too much contained heat could cause a continuous rise of the earth’s temperature, leading to cataclysmic and drastic changes in the earth’s topography.
Apart from the environmental damage, human lives are at the most risk of being adversely affected. The extreme periods of heat and cold can induce climate-sensitive diseases. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said in a statement that “it is the poor, in Africa and developing small island states and elsewhere, who will suffer the most, even though they are the least responsible for global warming.”
Cause For Concern
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, an independent organization, global warming emissions remain in the earth’s atmosphere for a long time. Thus, present energy conditions would greatly affect the quality of the earth’s climate even in centuries to come.
The global conservation organization World Wildlife Fund (WWF) also provided What’s On & Expat with their response to the IPCC’s report. In their summary, they pointed out the findings indicating how human activity such as burning fossil fuels, unwise agricultural practices and extensive, unsustainable land-use, are responsible for atmospheric greenhouse gas build-up, with atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels at their highest in 650,000 years - prompting scientists to link this with the worsening global warming crisis. The report warns that left unabated, this may warm the Earth by as much as 6.3 degrees Celsius in the next century alone. The WWF believes that a worldwide temperature increase of 2 degrees Celsius may be sufficient to spawn a rash of profound biological changes that will affect all life on the planet.
Among the major global effects confirmed by the IPCC are the following: Arctic temperatures increased at almost twice the global average, Arctic sea ice has shrunk by about 3 percent per decade, significant drying trends have been observed in many places and extreme weather patterns are becoming more frequent.
In 2006, the Philippines suffered through a slew of destructive storms, floods and droughts. Since the start of 2007, the country has been experiencing abnormal weather in the form of a cold spell. PAGASA (the government’s weather branch) data indicates that extreme weather events have been increasing here over the last four years.
Due to unanticipated climate change, approximately 40% reduction in rice yield has been observed in some 75 hectares of rice fields in Barangay Camuruboan, Jiabong, Samar. PAG-ASA explains that the northeasterly surface wind flow may have occurred when the rice grains were in the heading and flowering stage, the most critical stage of growth when weather conditions must be ideal.
“Food scarcity is a real danger,” says WWF CEO Lory Tan. “40 million Filipinos rely on the sea for food. Coral bleaching, algal blooms and marine acidification brought about by global warming will definitely take its toll on our declining fisheries.” Rice too, might be in short supply, warns Tan. “It takes 4700 litres of water to produce a kilo of rice. We face a drought this 2007. No water, no rice. No rice - no food.”
The Urgency of Government Action
The UN report has prompted environmental organizations such as Greenpeace to challenge the Philippine government to push forward in its efforts to mitigate the impacts of the climate change. “The Philippines lays claim to the world’s second and third deadliest disasters of 2006. Extreme precipitation brought on by climate change triggered both the Mayon mudslide and the Guinsaugon tragedy. Scientists are telling us that these will happen again, and when they do, they will be much worse,” campaign director Von Hernandez said in their press statement, adding that there is an urgent need for the Philippines to lay out a plan that will help adapt to these effects.
Raf Senga, WWF Climate Change Manager shared in their statement that: “The government must take this opportunity for immediate and positive action to avert the damaging consequences of climate change. Mitigation is only one part of the equation. An adaptation response should be crafted and set in place without delay. Extreme weather is not some future forecast – it is happening here, now. If we are to make it through this with minimal damage to our country – our government must act now. “
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo formally signed into law Republic Act No. 9367, also known as the “Biofuels Act of 2006” last Jan. 17. The law promotes the use of biofuels as a measure to develop and utilize indigenous renewable and sustainably-sourced clean energy sources, giving due regard to the protection of public health, the environment and natural ecosystems by lessening toxic and greenhouse gas emissions.
The President also plans to form a task force to come up with an action plan to address the country’s concerns about the effects of global warming. Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes will lead the task force, which will include the Departments of Energy and of Science and Technology.
During a recent event held at the House of Representatives, in a speech directed to the media, diplomatic community, and some members of Congress, Speaker Jose De Venecia Jr. addressed the issues of global warming and climate change affecting the country, stressing how reforestation and the proper management of our forests may help forestall the phenomena’s ill effects.
The Klima Climate Change Center, the climate change information arm of the Manila Observatory challenges every citizen of the world to take responsibility for the earth. Responding to the UN Report, they issued a low-carbon diet guideline which limits each person’s harmful gas emissions.
Klima’s Low Carbon Diet:
1. Use compact fluorescent lamps instead of incandescent bulbs. These use 70 - 80 percent less energy and last at least 8 to 13 times longer.
2. Observe the 3Rs-reduce, reuse and recycle
3. Buy energy-efficient appliances.
4. Walk, bike or carpool.
5. Patronize mass transportation.
6. Turn off lights and appliances when not in use.
7. Unplug cellular phone chargers when the battery is fully-charged.
8. Conserve water.
9. Prevent unnecessary idling of engines.
10. Avoid aggressive driving, rapid acceleration or sudden stops.
11. Keep vehicles in good running condition.
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