LIMATE change is
now the concern of the country. This is because it is expected to impact
practically all sectors of society in addition to its effects, mostly negative,
on the environment, such as worsening the consequences of natural occurrences. A
lot of thinking and planning has been going on mostly on how to mitigate its
negative effects and how to adapt to the predicted changes.
The world’s climatic patterns have been changing in the past
ages, but the changes had been variable and erratic. Only at the beginning of
the 20th century have these changes been observed to gradually worsen over time.
For example, global temperatures have been shown to increase, and the data for
the Philippines show a similar trend. Temperature increases have triggered many
secondary effects. The primary cause of these increases has now been attributed
to the release of carbon dioxide produced as a result of the increasing use of
fossil fuel beginning from about 1750 when the age of industrialization started.
The gas carbon dioxide, which is produced through the use
(oxidation) of carbon compounds like fossil fuels, metabolism of living
organisms, and decomposition of dead organisms, is a useful chemical compound.
It reacts with water and is converted to carbohydrates (food) with the aid of
sunlight. Under relatively small concentrations, the carbon dioxide molecules
absorb the sun’s heat energy, which is radiated back to earth to prevent it from
becoming extremely cold. But during the past 300 years, the concentration of
carbon dioxide has increased tremendously. According to experts, this is the
reason for the increasing temperatures of the earth, which in turn have spawned
many effects that are now collectively referred to as climate change.
Climate change is expected to exert profound effects on human
society, both directly in terms of human health and indirectly through the
environment. The concerns now are to mitigate these effects and to find ways to
help people cope with the impacts. Without elaborating further, it is obvious
that governments and people must be prepared with appropriate responses. We all
know that these responses require resources.
What should be our responses to combat climate change? To do
these, we have to list the expected specific impacts, which would vary from
place to place, and match each impact with appropriate interventions. For
example, if predictions say that an area will be flooded, farmers planting rice
should plant a rice variety that thrives in swampy areas. If a lowland area is
in danger of being intruded by the rising sea level, upland reforestation would
be needed to build freshwater pressure that will prevent sea water from coming
in. Predicted effects of climate such as high probability of landslides,
seawater warming that could negatively impact coastal resources, increased
frequency of typhoons, high risk of beach erosion, high probability of tsunamis,
earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions would each require specific interventions and
adaptations. What would be common to all these examples are policies and
programs as well as competent leadership on the part of responsible agencies,
public and private.
Contributing to stopping the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
(the basic cause of climate change) would entail reforming the system that
provides the energy needed to run the activities of human societies. This reform
would require that we stop using fossil fuels and use only energy sources
generated through controlled cyclical processes as well as non-conventional
energy sources. This is difficult but is a challenge to all humankind.
