“This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be up here... I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet, you have come to us young people for hope. How dare you. You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words.”
These were the emotional words of teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg during the Climate Action Summit in the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, at UN headquarters, Monday, September 23, 2019.
It is clear as day as to the environmental problems we are facing nowadays. On the internet, we can see the impacts of human greed to the environment from rivers and seas being littered with our garbage, wildlife going extinct, increasing temperature, massive wildfires, and melting ice caps, among many others.
For us living in Davao City, we do not have to look far to see the degradation of the environment. The recent flooding is a clear indication that the trees in the uplands are dwindling. Looking around you, you would see trash being littered in the nooks and crannies of what is considered as among the cleanest cities in the Philippines. A boat ride to Samal Island, you would see plastics floating in the sea.
Marine mammals have also been washing up on the shores of Davao Gulf. Autopsy of the dead marine creatures showed that their stomachs were filled with plastics and trash. Some of these creatures have also died due to suspected dynamite fishing.
Our human greed is putting the only livable planet in our solar system in danger. It is sad to note that the future generation will not be able to enjoy the beauty of earth because we have been careless and greedy.
While we commend some of the efforts of the government to conserve the environment, a lot has yet to be done. When we say a lot, it means that there is a very long way to go. However, there is still a small glimmer of hope in the horizon.
The government plays a big role in environment conservation. It has all the tools and resources to kick start a national movement that seeks to preserve the environment and save it before it is too late.
What the government needs now is a strong political will when it comes to the environment. The government has already proven this with the rehabilitation of Pasig River Manila Bay, and Boracay Island. However, environmental problems still linger in these areas. But these are also examples that when the government puts focus to get things done properly, results are most of the time stellar.
What the national and local government also needs are more individuals who are competent and understanding of how to protect and conserve the environment.
Likewise, for us the public, sharing environmental stories on social media is not doing enough to protect the environment. As passionate as we are on social media on our call to protect the environment, we have to also convert this into actions.
“Time is running out. But it is not too late,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the summit.