Friday, June 08, 2007 Peña: Beat the heat! By Rox Peña E-ssue
THE rainy season has already started, so obviously my topic is not about summer. It has something to do with the Environment Month celebration this June. The theme chosen for this year is "Beat the Heat: Let us work towards a safer climate!" It highlights global warming, the biggest environmental problem we are facing today.
The release of the report on climate change by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on Feb. 2, 2007, has attracted a lot of attention on the global warming issue. The IPCC predicted that the average temperatures are likely to rise between 1.8 to four degree Centigrade by the end of the century, and said human activities were "very likely" responsible.
Global warming is caused by the release of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. These gases act like a blanket, which prevents the sun's heat from dissipating into outer space. As a result, the temperature of the Earth's surface increases, causing changes in our climate.
In the opening ceremonies for this year's Environment Month celebration, Secretary Angelo Reyes of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said they are forming an alliance with the academe, industry, local governments, church, youth and the civil society to drum up support for the global campaign to curb climate change.
Reyes pointed out that in many of the simple things that we do at home and at work, we can save energy, which in turn reduces greenhouse gas emission and avoid climate change. He cited as examples the use of energy-efficient light bulbs, turning the lights off when not in use, practicing waste segregation and recycling, and patronizing recycled products.
Another simple action we can take is to plant trees because they absorb carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas. I encourage everyone to plant trees, at least this coming June 25 which is Philippine Arbor Day. The DENR Region 3 office will have a tree planting activity at the Mount Arayat National Park on June 22.
Reducing the use of our motor vehicles is another simple way of reducing greenhouse gas emission. We can do biking, walking, take public transportation or organize car pools. On June 3, hundreds of bikers joined the DENR in an environmental advocacy ride, dubbed "Padyak para sa Kalikasan". The biking event, which started at the grounds of the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Nature Center, is part of the environment month celebration.
By the way, while we in the Philippines have a month-long observance as per Proclamation 237 issued by former President Corazon C. Aquino, the rest of the world celebrates only every June 5, the World Environment Day. The theme for this year is "Melting Ice -- a Hot Topic?" which complements the International Polar year 2007.
In its website, United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) cited several threats from melting ice. One of these is that the Greenland Ice Sheet, the Arctic's largest glacial mass, which constitutes 10 percent of the world's freshwater reserves, is currently melting faster that it could build new ice. If all Greenland ice melted, the world's oceans would rise by seven meters. That would inundate many islands and coastal communities. I wonder how many of our 7,200 islands will still be left.
So while we still have time, let's do what we can to avoid global warming.
