SEN. Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate Committee on Climate Change, is advocating for the immediate implementation of the Climate Change Law in the Philippines "to strengthen the country’s defense against natural calamities."
What is climate change exactly? Wikipedia defi nes climate change as "a change in the statistical distribution of weather over periods of time that range from decades to millions of years. It can be a change in the average weather or a change in the distribution of weather events around an average (for example, greater or fewer extreme weather events). Climate change may be limited to a specifi c region, or may occur across the whole Earth."
Many Filipinos may not be aware of the implications of climate change. Most would say that typhoons are normal occurrences in the Philippines. However, the devastating destruction brought about by recent typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng can no longer be dismissed. Immediate action to lay the foundation for disaster preparedness is now imperative, lest millions of lives and property will continue to perish. Sen. Legarda said that "the most vulnerable to the scourge of disasters are the poorest of the poor, who should be given special attention. They are the small farmers, fi sherfolk, upland dwellers, urban squatters living on riverbanks, forestlands, seashores and low-lying areas."
"The ensuing discussions on the threats of climate change to our basic human rights - food, potable water, shelter, decent livelihood and life itself, have occupied us for some time now. In response to these impacts, vulnerable countries like the Philippines should ramp up efforts to enhance the resilience of our people," Legarda added.
There is no more time to wait. Talking about the weather is extremely crucial and relevant, perhaps even more essential than the government’s usual fare of politicking. (AJPress)
( Published October 31, 2009 in Asian Journal Los Angeles p. A12 )
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
