Climate change affecting the world

There are some countries that are still in denial that climate change is very much upon us. The signs are clear with the erratic weather changes such as extremely hot and cold temperatures, the frequent occurrence of El Niño and El Niña, prolonged drought in many places and intense storms and typhoons such as the ones we have been experiencing in the Philippines in the past couple of years – in fact, just a couple of days ago.

That this has become a global concern can be gleaned from the multitude of demonstrators who trooped to the streets of New York to join the People’s Climate Change March over the weekend. Some 300,000 marchers from Paris, London, Rome and even Papua New Guinea joined UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon and former US Vice President Al Gore to demand for more concrete action from the world’s leaders to cut down emissions most especially carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuel. 

The march came on the heels of the UN Climate Summit in New York this week where President Aquino is set to deliver a four-minute speech on climate change before the world’s leaders. Being the third most vulnerable country to climate change – as seen in the devastating floods brought about by typhoons Like Ondoy, Yolanda and most recently Mario – the Philippines should take every opportunity to share its voice in the dialogue, as nations seek solutions to this serious problem faced by humanity.

The irony of it all is that both China and India have opted not to take part in the Climate Change Summit considering they are the Number 1 and Number 3 top carbon polluters. The fact is, when calamity strikes these countries due to climate change, they have the biggest casualties because of their population. Countries with the biggest population are also the top polluters, which again proves the point of many experts that population, pollution and climate change are interrelated. The US, which is the second top carbon polluter, happens to be the third most populous nation in the world.

In the latest estimate by the UN, the world’s population will hit 11 billion by 2100 – two billion more than the earlier estimate – which could lead to serious consequences like shortage in food, water and energy.

According to American biologist and Stanford University professor Paul Ehrlich – author of the bestselling book “The Population Bomb” – the world is already facing tremendous problems with its current population of over seven billion with one billion going hungry and “contributing greatly to the chances of climate change disruption.” The additional two billion people expected by demographers by 2050 will cause untold damage to the environment, he added.

Ehrlich’s observations are echoed by John Carr, executive director of the US Conference on Catholic Bishops on justice, peace and human development.  The big problem that population explosion brings is global climate change, Carr says. “The poorest people on earth contribute least to climate change but are likely to suffer its worst consequences since they have the fewest resources to adapt and respond. Climate change with increasing water scarcity, food insecurity, frequency and intensity of natural disasters, migration and conflict over declining resources will exacerbate the challenges felt by people in poverty and a growing world population” – which is exactly what many have been saying because the poorest – who comprise a big portion of our population – suffer the consequences of climate change the most.

Philippines Inc. off to Washington, DC

We will be joining the Philippines Inc. group in Washington, DC for three days to meet with US senators and former US Cabinet officials and security advisers to discuss US perspectives on the Philippines. As we mentioned in an earlier column, the “Philippines Eminent Persons Group” visit to Washington was organized by the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

During the three-day schedule, the Philippines, Inc. group led by Antonio Cojuangco and Antonio Lopa will be joined by DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario in a meeting with former US Senator Richard Lugar and will also be visiting the US Capitol and the office of the Speaker of the House. Meetings have also been slated with members of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Philippines, Inc. members are also looking forward to the Pentagon briefing with Assistant Secretary for East Asia Pacific David Shear and some members of the Joint Staff with discussions to include the US and Philippines’ security and defense ties.

The visit will be a good opportunity for us to feel the pulse in Washington, DC   regarding Philippine security and defense ties, including EDCA and the South China Sea. We will also be meeting with some of the former US Ambassadors to the Philippines such as Tom Hubbard, Richard Solomon and John Maisto.

Spy tidbit

The traffic going to the airport is starting to become horrendous as the seven-kilometer NAIA expressway project connecting to the PAGCOR Entertainment City and the Skyway networks just started – with construction being rushed for the upcoming APEC meetings that will be hosted by the Philippines in 2015.

The four-lane expressway project is expected to benefit an estimated 80,000 travelers per day, with projections that it could reduce travel time from the Skyway to NAIA Terminal 1 into less than 10 minutes.  Such high hopes indeed – if one will not have to plod through traffic going to NAIA from EDSA, C5 and other choke points where a 30-minute ride can take three hours to navigate.

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