Editorial: Up in arms against balloons

(File photo)
(File photo)

HOMEGROWN Davao Bamboo Sanctuary and Ecological Park drew the ire of netizens days leading to the New Year's Eve Celebration after they announced that they will be releasing balloons to the sky.

Environmental advocacy organization Climate Reality Project Philippines brought this to light on their Facebook Page.

Prior to the ecological park, netizens and Climate Reality Project Philippines also called the attention of the Cove Manila for their world-record attempt to drop the largest number of balloons during the New Year’s Eve celebration.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) also ordered the cancelation of Cove Manila's balloon drop.

The Davao Bamboo Sanctuary and Ecological Park and Cove Manila eventually cancelled their events with balloons. We can attribute this to the will power and pressure from the netizens. If not for them, the balloon drop and release would continue and the DENR would not know about the event.

This incident cements the fact that somehow social media has the power to push for change. However, after the incident, now what?

History would show that protests or creating noise on certain issues can create change. However, these changes will not be sustained if there are no policies involved.

Advocacy groups should also push for the creation of policies that will help protect the environment. It is not enough to call the attention of the government or the big businesses. There should be policies in place that will implement these changes. They should also call for a review of current environmental laws to see if it is still relevant or still have teeth.

It is also not enough for netizens to call the attention of big corporations and businesses committing violations against the environment. They themselves should also not forget to be environmentally responsible. There are netizens who are just key board warriors and are not doing any good to the environment. They throw their trash anywhere and don't reduce their carbon footprint.

Some netizens may also start an environmental campaign on being environmentally responsible. If they can stop businesses from creating so many wastes, they can also encourage more Filipinos to reduce their wastes and be more environmentally responsible.

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