Changing the game in climate change
By Renelle L.
Escuadro
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Caraga spearheaded the first Caraga Regional Climate Change Summit in San Jose, Province of Dinagat Islands in February this year which was participated by the different government agencies, provincial and municipal local government units, stakeholders and volunteers, where programs and projects for climate change adaptation and mitigation for the province were laid down.
In its simplest concept, climate change is a long-term change in temperature and other characteristics of the atmosphere resulting in uncertain and unstable weather. This could be seen in the changes in how much rain a place usually gets in a year, or the climate of certain places at certain times of the year.
As an archipelago in the Pacific, the Philippines experiences the effects of climate change through extreme weather events such as typhoons reaching Category 5, such as the case with Super Typhoon "Odette" which struck Caraga Region and other areas of Visayas Island two years ago. Further, the country’s southern island, Mindanao, once considered "typhoon-free" is now more frequently visited by typhoons.
Recently, Filipinos were all hands on deck to prepare for the entry of another Category 5 super typhoon named "Mawar" (local name: Betty) in the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) which left the Island of Guam with great devastation.
Signs and indications
The Feast of Candelaria is celebrated by Catholic devotees all over the world every February 2. In Caraga Region, people especially the old folks would wait for this festivity as it signals the end of the rainy season welcoming the summer with the famous line, “Ay Candelaria na, matapos na jud ang ulan (It's finally Candelaria, the rain is over).”
However, from December of last year 2022 up until April of this year, Caraga was on wet ground because of continuous rains brought by a series of shear lines and low-pressure areas brought by La Nina that affected the people and their lifestyle and properties. The Feast of Candelaria came but the rain was still there. In the entire months of February and March, the weather report was on the priority list of the government and the general public.
Climate change is the only answer to the recurring question on why heavy rains continue to pour even during the supposed summer season.
Thereafter is the El Nino phenomenon which is characterized in the Philippines as unusually warmer than the average sea surface temperatures at the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. This increase in air temperature and relative humidity can cause an increase in heat, which is now forecasted via the Heat Index produced by PAGASA on a daily basis.
Heat index, as defined, is what the
temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined
with the air temperature. It serves as a measure to know how much heat
the human body can handle before it becomes dangerous. 
On April 22 and 23, Butuan City hit almost half the boiling point in the heat index, consecutively recording the highest temperature nationwide at 48. With increasing health concerns from students, parents, faculty and teachers brought by extreme heat, some public schools opted for blended learning once again with face-to-face and module learning scheduled alternately. Classroom engagement is also scheduled in the morning. Meanwhile, the employment sector is requested to consider contingency plans and ensure a safe and healthy work environment amidst the dangers posed by of El Nino.
Advancing the game changers
“Climate change is upon us. Scientists are telling us that we are at the point of no return. The role of the government, really, is to cushion the impact of climate change,” said Climate Change Commission (CCC) Commissioner Albert P. Dela Cruz during the Caraga Regional Climate Change Summit.
Responding to these climate risks, the Philippine government has demonstrated leadership through a strong commitment to a climate policy and institutional reform agenda. In 2009, Republic Act 9729 or the Climate Change Act was created which mandates the mainstreaming of climate change considerations into government policy and planning. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is tasked to oversee the establishment and maintenance of the climate change information management system and network, including climate change risks, activities, and investments, in collaboration with other concerned national government agencies, institutions, and local government units.
One tangible step taken by the DENR, through the CCC, on climate change is the recent identification of the Province of Dinagat Islands as the location for the seven priority programs and projects ranging from water treatment systems, infrastructure, and research, which are hoped to transform the province as the “Silicon Valley” in research and development of the country.
These programs include Dinagat Islands Sustainable Agri-Fishery Development Program (DISAFDP) worth P44.5 million; Sustainable Watershed Management worth P40.5 million; and Enhanced Ecological Solid Waste and Management System amounting with a budget allocation of P427.7 million.
Into the bargain is
the national scope of the recent allocation of P2.39 billion for the National
Greening Program for a massive forest rehabilitation which covers a land area
of 13,565 hectares; 7,249,642 seedlings to be planted; and 158,853 hectares to
be maintained for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
These are work in
progress that require patience in time and momentum of project implementation.
Climate change adaptation and mitigation becomes successful only through
sustainability and projects, such as those pipelined in the Province of Dinagat
Islands, will address specific goals long-term and will not materialize
overnight.
Taking action now
“The government
cannot do it alone. We need the support of everyone including private
individuals. That is what we call the ‘whole-of-nation approach.’ Kasi kapag
dumating ulit si [Bagyong] Odette… lahat sapul sa hangin, lahat mababasa sa
ulan, [If another Super Typhoon Odette will come once again, we will all be hit
by its wind and drenched by the rain,” Dela Cruz emphasized.
The life and survival
threat of climate change calls for everyone to make small individual
contributions. Humans are born not as spectators in the fight against climate
change, rather, they are duty bearers and force multipliers in the decades-long
campaign.
What we can do as
responsible citizens is to start with ourselves and take simple steps such as
these three doable actions: save energy at home; Reduce, Reuse, Repair and
Recycle; and above all, speak up.
At home, save
energy by turning off unnecessary lights and unplugging unused appliances.
These are easy to do and even children can accomplish these things.
The concept of
reduce, reuse, repair and recycle has been aggressively campaigned by the
government through Republic Act No. 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste
Management Act. The act enforces all citizens to follow the proper waste
segregation and, as much as possible, reduce waste at home, school and work and
other institutions.
There is no other
perfect time to speak up but now. We need to sound the alarm from where we are
to the countryside, to the grassroots and across the globe, so we can have
everyone’s commitment to execute individual contributions in the fight against
climate change, regardless of age, gender, religion and outlook in life.
We cannot be passive
because climate change is already here. The urgent message to everyone is loud
and clear: do something and contribute now. (DMNR/RLE/PIA-Caraga)
