LA TRINIDAD, Benguet - Serious in its bid to adapt to climate change, the Provincial Government with municipal local government units, non-government organizations, and concerned line agencies gathered to plan mitigation and adaptation measures in response to this global phenomenon.
The meeting was an offshoot of a climate change forum anchored on regional development and autonomy held August 4-5 at the Ben Palispis Hall of the Provincial Capitol.
Governor Nestor Fongwan announced his plan to appoint a climate change czar that would oversee municipal undertakings.
Fongwan also encouraged a study tour in areas where climate change mitigation efforts are successful such as those in Albay and Samar.
There were some pointers Fongwan recommended the municipalities to take into consideration in their plans such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC or FCCC) and Kyoto Protocol, where the country is signatory to both.
Commonly identified adaptation measures the group will pursue include: intensification of campaign on climate change, revisiting of national and local legislations, solid waste management, watershed management, reforestation, agricultural concerns and organic farming, regulation of small scale mining activities, development of renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind, water and bio-fuels, develop alternative transport systems such as cables and tunnels.
In the two-day forum were series of lectures on agriculture and food security, health, environment, disaster risk reduction, climate change thru regional development and autonomy, IPRA, local governance and autonomy, and localizing mitigating measures.
Urban Planner Architect Sheeree Nolasco, president of the Causa Nostra, who lectured on localizing climate change adaptation challenged the participants to put their acts together and must do something now.
Dr. Cecile Gatan-Magturo, DOH Focal Person for Climate Change National Disaster Prevention and Control, said that to be able to understand climate change is to understand first the concept of the 'greenhouse effect'. (Susan C. Aro/PR)