October 15, 2009
Today is Blog Action Day, and the theme is "Climate Change." Very fitting theme in the light of what's happening in the country and in the rest of the world.
I live in a country where typhoons outnumber the number of months in a year. Can the number of typhoons outnumber that of the days of the month? I hope not. But the possibility is there. And the most likely culprit is climate change.
Environmental groups have doubled their campaign awareness program and they're telling us that the effect of climate change. Over at the Greenpeace website, we are given these facts:
Philippines fall under island nations, and yes as an archipelago, we have many coastal areas.
Typhooon Ondoy was a wake-up call. But it was not the first wake-up call that we got. There were many others, and these reminders are given to us year after year. Every year that a strong typhoon hits the country, we talk about improving our esteros and drainage, cleaning up our creeks and canals, planting more trees, etc. etc. They never happened, unlike Singapore that after experiencing massive flooding went to work and never let it happen again!
It took Typhoon Ondoy, which damaged key cities in Metro Manila, for us to go back to the drawing board and examine our system. This was when I found out that we did have an urban planning program, but it was during the Marcos administration yet. What?!? Worse, the succeeding governments didn't pick it up and continue it.
What I Want Us to Do
Finally, put up an honest-to-goodness urban planning, environmental program suited for our country.
We have a lot of engineers, architects, scientists who can study the Philippine topography and decide what is best for all of us.
We have plenty of agencies that work or can work on this. Let's get them to work.
There are about 96 million Filipinos, surely, we can all clean up our backyards, do away with plastics, and recycle. Small steps, if done by everyone, can effect change.
As Greenpeace said, we should expect heavier rainfall and more massive flooding. Let's do it now! A strong political will can do this. Come on, politicians! Come on, leaders---and those aspiring to be leaders---of this country. Show us what you got. Prove that you can really help us take care of ourselves.
Let's preserve the green.
This photo was taken at the Airforce City, Centennial Park Musuem, Clark, Pampanga.
I live in a country where typhoons outnumber the number of months in a year. Can the number of typhoons outnumber that of the days of the month? I hope not. But the possibility is there. And the most likely culprit is climate change.
Environmental groups have doubled their campaign awareness program and they're telling us that the effect of climate change. Over at the Greenpeace website, we are given these facts:
Global Warming is a Catastrophe Coming!
The causes - humankind's relentless burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.
The impacts - the melting of polar ice caps, rising oceans, severe droughts, the spread of diseases, massive flooding, coral bleaching and surging storms.
Who will be hit hardest - coastal countries, island nations, and underdeveloped regions like Southeast Asia. Continue reading...
Philippines fall under island nations, and yes as an archipelago, we have many coastal areas.
Typhooon Ondoy was a wake-up call. But it was not the first wake-up call that we got. There were many others, and these reminders are given to us year after year. Every year that a strong typhoon hits the country, we talk about improving our esteros and drainage, cleaning up our creeks and canals, planting more trees, etc. etc. They never happened, unlike Singapore that after experiencing massive flooding went to work and never let it happen again!
It took Typhoon Ondoy, which damaged key cities in Metro Manila, for us to go back to the drawing board and examine our system. This was when I found out that we did have an urban planning program, but it was during the Marcos administration yet. What?!? Worse, the succeeding governments didn't pick it up and continue it.
What I Want Us to Do
Finally, put up an honest-to-goodness urban planning, environmental program suited for our country.
We have a lot of engineers, architects, scientists who can study the Philippine topography and decide what is best for all of us.
We have plenty of agencies that work or can work on this. Let's get them to work.
There are about 96 million Filipinos, surely, we can all clean up our backyards, do away with plastics, and recycle. Small steps, if done by everyone, can effect change.
As Greenpeace said, we should expect heavier rainfall and more massive flooding. Let's do it now! A strong political will can do this. Come on, politicians! Come on, leaders---and those aspiring to be leaders---of this country. Show us what you got. Prove that you can really help us take care of ourselves.
Let's preserve the green.
This photo was taken at the Airforce City, Centennial Park Musuem, Clark, Pampanga.
5 comments:
I'm going green!
http://pinoyblabbermouth.blogspot.com/2009/10/my-stand-on-climate-change.html
Yes, let's! :)
Beautiful shot of the greenery!
I worked before in a US Environmental consulting firm in Ortigas and I know what our country needs to minimise the impacts of flooding from the typhoons! We should not focus on the outcome: Climate change, we should focus our concern on the inputs: wastes management, funding for research, political will to implement the enviromental laws, poverty alleviation, housing, etc. For example, we blame Typhoon Ondoy for the floods, we dont really why the main cause of the flood. Ive heard that too much water from the dam, thus without prior warning to the communities, the water was released! There are more low lying areas in MM, but why Cainta, Marikina and some part of Rizal did suffer much? Because these areas located near Marikina River and other tributaries closed to the dam...
Community awareness and proper dissemination of information is also a key factor to mitigate or minimise this issue, however, even we have engineers and planners, and experts, still the govt should find ways by having a substantial funds, not relying on international aid when our country is struck by calamities. Taun-taon, may bagyo sa ating bansa, minsan naman lindol... alam natin na ang mga ito ay di gawa ng tao, kaya dapat ang ating pamahalaan ay maglaan ng pera para sa oras ng kalamidad. Hay... kaya ako " frustrated" ako magtrabaho sa govt eh bilang planner kasi nga sa "papel"" lang di naman ginagawa eh! Pasensya ka na napahaba ang aking comment! All the best.
I totally agree with you on this: "We should not focus on the outcome: Climate change, we should focus our concern on the inputs: wastes management, funding for research, political will to implement the enviromental laws, poverty alleviation, housing, etc."
And sad but true that many government R&D agencies have good programs, but in paper only. And ironic because their names are all "Centers of XXX" (you know what I mean) ~lol~ I remember during my grad skul days, we would go to these agencies for info but always come up empty handed.
I look forward to the day that we will have an honest-to-goodness programs.
And hey, I appreciate your long comment, thanks! :D
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