The worsening climate problem

I have written about our deteriorating planet in the past and will continue to do so because the problem is real and it’s just getting worse. Just because we don’t think about it or talk about it doesn’t make it less real. In fact, we’re just kidding ourselves if we think we can do nothing and the problem will go away. It’s this ignorance and indifference that brought us to where we are in the first place and if we continue on this way, this indifference is what will spell our doom.

As far back as when my daughter was a little girl, people were already talking about the effect we were having on our planet. Back then, in the late 1980s the fear was already there in terms of the longevity of our natural resources and the sustainability of our planet, but the threat was abstract and obscure. It was like talking about running out of snacks from a giant bowl that was still full. We knew that we might run out eventually, but we knew that it would still be a long time before that day arrived.

Well, that day is here. As we continue to grab snacks from the bowl we can already see the bottom and we know that it’s only a matter of time before there is nothing left. And the worse part is that we could have prevented this situation if we had just taken action sooner. Instead we chose to ignore the signs and just continue on our way and now we find ourselves in a position of having to be reactionary when we could have practiced prevention instead. Still, while it’s a pity we had to get to this point, it’s not too late and we should focus now on making a change while we still can.

In line with this, former United States Vice President Al Gore was in the Philippines for a three-day leadership corps training by the Climate Reality Project, of which he is the founder. Climate warriors from all over Asia (roughly 700) gathered in the country for the training and to learn more about solid steps we can all take to reduce our carbon footprint and begin to make a real difference in our world.

Personally, I don’t think the news of this training and this environmental summit is getting as much traction as it deserves. We are instead focusing so much on the candidates and the election and the whole circus that comes with it. While I understand that this is also important, it seems like looking at the small picture when the big picture is crumbling right before us.

According to the Long-Term Climate Risk Index of the thinktank Germanwatch, the Philippines ranks fifth as the most affected country in terms of weather events from 1994 to 2013 with roughly 1.13 deaths per 100,000 people as well as losses to the GDP in the same period. The country experienced the most number of extreme weather events with a total of at least 328. Looking at it that way it’s almost cold and sanitized. To see the suffering of so many reduced to statistics makes me feel exceptionally sad. While other countries around the world see only the numbers, we in the Philippines have lived them.

After all, who can forget the devastation of the extreme weather events that have ravaged the country in the past? From Milenyo to Ondoy to the most recent Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). We have had our share of horror from Mother Nature and it’s only just a preview of how bad things can become. Even those who are suspicious and dubious of climate change can’t deny that things have steadily become worse in the last five years alone. The world is getting hotter and the natural calamities are getting worse. We have just been lucky that since Yolanda we have not yet had to endure another storm of similar magnitude. But, that’s not to say it won’t happen again. After all, after Yolanda hit, researchers have claimed that if we don’t change, it’s only a matter of time before storms like Yolanda are the norm.

We have definitely come to the point where we can no longer ignore the effects climate change is having on our planet. Last weekend, Gore went to Tacloban as part of his new documentary on climate change. Along with Senator Loren Legarda and Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez, Gore went to the different recovering barangays and visited with several families who were displaced when the super typhoon hit. He also went to the cemetery where thousands were buried in a mass burial site.

I honestly don’t know what else will motivate us to act. We have all seen, with our own eyes, the horrors climate change can unleash and yet we’re still dragging our feet. Globally, countries have made the commitment to trying to limit global warming to just two degrees Celsius. This is an important decision that can help make a difference in the world if we can achieve it. But in order to do that, we all have to help reach our goals.

Here in the Philippines it really has become time to focus on renewable energy. That is how we can do our part. We need to stop relying on carbon based fuels for the majority of our energy and focus on renewable energy sources like solar and wind. So much of it is available to us – solar energy in particular – it seems a waste not to harness this energy source and continue using dirty carbon based fuels. With alternatives at our disposal there is no excuse for us not to be using clean energy. Granted it will take a big investment on our part to get the infrastructure into place, but the investment will be worth it in the long run.

At the end of the day, I think we need to recognize that we only have one world. We need to do our part in taking care of it. If we do, it will take care of us. If we don’t… well, we’ve seen what can happen. As we head into the elections it’s important for us to take a closer look at the environmental platforms of the possible candidates. We need to choose a leader who we know will be a good steward not just of the Philippines, but of the world too.