IN LESS than a week, Mother Nature slapped on our faces just some of the environmental issues that we should really take action on.
On March 15, the body of a juvenile male Curvier Beaked Whale was found along the coastline of Barangay Cadunan in Mabini, Compostela Valley province.
After a necropsy investigation, Darrell Blatchley, director of the D'Bone Collector Museum, said some 40 kilograms of plastic bags including 16 rice sacks, four banana plantation style bags, and multiple shopping bags were ingested by the whale that resulted to its death.
Then we have the El Niño, which posed a threat to our water resources and food security. While we are lucky enough here in Davao with the abundance and availability of water, the same cannot be said for Metro Manila. The capital is currently facing a water crisis, though President Rodrigo R. Duterte has already ordered the water utilities in the capital to ensure water supply for the people living there.
Another is the path of Chedeng, which has weakened to a low pressure area as of Tuesday, March 19. In the past, typhoons would have an upward path if it enters the Philippine Area of Responsibility in the Mindanao Area. However, this time, Chedeng crossed Mindanao and made landfall in Malita, Davao Occidental. We used to say Mindanao is rarely hit by typhoons but this may become common in the coming years with climate change.
We have to wake up now and start becoming more aware of how our actions impact the environment. Sadly, there is still so much to be done to make people more environmentally aware of their actions.
For example, we recently published online photos of people allowing waste to accumulate in the city, which has been dubbed as one of the cleanest in the country. On March 16, after the city government gave out free lunch during the Kumbira sa Araw ng Davao, some of those who availed of the free lunch just left their trash along the streets. Piling them up despite some trash bins and trash bags in the area.
Another photo we released is that of kids on a wooden pathway in Barangay 23-C surrounded with trash. We are aware of coastal clean-ups in the area but that is not beneficial in the long run.
There is a need for everyone in the society to be more aware of how their actions can impact the environment. Those who have the influence should educate the public on the importance of caring for our environment.
By simply reducing the waste we generate, practicing waste segregation, and reducing our use of single-use plastics, we are already helping Mother Nature. One simple action done by many to help Mother Nature may create a lot of positive change.
The climate will change. To mitigate its negative impacts we need to do our part to protect the environment.