'Back to the future'

Loren Legarda invited us to a reception at her home for the lawmakers, academicians and scientists from Asia, Europe and South America who took part in the first “UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Consultative Meeting with Parliamentarians” on disaster risk reduction and climate change. The UNISDR invited Loren to the two-day closed-door meeting because they wanted her to speak on the Philippine situation and how vulnerable the country is to disasters.

I sat with UNISDR director Salvano Briceño, a Venezuelan national, and we had a good conversation on pollution and other issues affecting the environment. It turns out that the Harvard educated Briceño (who also has a Doctorate in Administrative Law from the University of Paris and speaks three languages) has the same problem as mine – allergic rhinitis – which is related to air pollution.

Almost all experts agree that the extreme weather patterns that the world has been witnessing can be attributed to climate change. And these disasters could get worse if nothing is done to lessen carbon emissions which have been causing rising sea and land temperatures, triggering freak storms, floods, landslides and droughts. The UNISDR head has been warning governments about the serious effects of climate disasters especially on the poorest countries – and this problem is being exacerbated by rising urban populations since it has led to the uncontrolled occupation even of disaster-prone and vulnerable areas like riverbanks and creek sides. 

Last year, around 950 natural disasters occurred all over the world, much higher than the 850 recorded in 2006. This year, more than 230,000 people have been killed by natural disasters, the most devastating of which is Cyclone Nargis that left over 130,000 people dead in Myanmar. Early this year, China also suffered a devastating freak snow storm that cost $7.5 billion in damages, as well as a deadly earthquake in Sichuan province.

Briceño told us that after the Olympics, the Chinese government has come to realize the devastating effect of pollution in their country, and that they are intensifying efforts to produce electric cars – which is really good news since the Chinese now have the dubious honor of overtaking the United States as the world’s biggest carbon polluter. It is expected that by 2010, annual registration of light vehicles in China will reach 7.9 million. Just imagine if all of those vehicles ran on regular fuel and diesel – the effect on the environment could be devastating.

Over the last couple of years though, a Chinese car manufacturer has been building a multi-million dollar facility that can produce up to 20,000 electric cars that can be run on battery, hybrid power and fuel cells. And just recently, the Chinese government is planning to build a nationwide network of recharging stations in anticipation of the growing demand for electric powered vehicles that can serve as patrol cars, used for delivery of goods or for going around tourist spots. In 2005, a Tianjin-based car manufacturer reportedly delivered more than a hundred battery-powered minibuses to the US, with projections that their electric powered car exports to the US will reach 5,000 by 2010. It wouldn’t really be surprising if China would one day become even more advanced than the US considering that the Chinese government is beginning to get more attuned to the changing times.

Japanese car companies are also spearheading efforts to develop “green cars,” like Honda with its FCX Clarity, a hydrogen-fueled car. The only exhaust produced by this high-tech vehicle is a small trickle of water, and this has been certified by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Honda has anticipated the demand for such cars because it has already built a state-of-the-art facility that could produce thousands of this next-generation vehicle. Being an “oil poor” country, Japan really has to resort to energy saving technology and churn out energy-efficient products.

In Europe, there is a growing consciousness for the concept of “walkable communities” where people can live and work in an area that is accessible simply by walking or biking. This can be done through “mixed land use” where places of work, commercial areas, restaurants, schools and homes can be built close to each other, instead of the single land use designs typical in many towns and cities all over the world.

As a matter of fact, a study conducted by the University of Washington with a health group revealed that walkable communities can reduce obesity and help older people become healthier. Advocates say the concept of walkable communities has been around for thousands of years – even in the Philippines – as seen in the design of rural towns and communities where homes were built around key institutions like the church and town hall. However, things took a sudden turn when cars became available and people became more and more dependent on them. With the resurgence of walkable communities, it looks like it’s “back to the future” – with the past about to catch up with the future.

At any rate, there is good news on the horizon despite the devastation that has been happening all over the world due to deadly disasters, with more and more people becoming aware about the serious effects of global warming and climate change, thanks to people like Salvano Briceño and legislators like Loren Legarda. Whatever people may say against Loren, that she’s “too ambitious,” there is one thing for sure that she is doing right – and that is her advocacy for protecting the environment. While she has obviously set her eye on the presidency, for her, it all boils down to one thing: It is a matter of destiny. “If it’s meant to be, then it will be.”

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