Climate change: How we can help abate it

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

MANAGING FOR SOCIETY, THE MANILA TIMES By Evelio G. Echavez Climate change: How we can help abate it

(Continued from last week) The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in its Fourth Assessment Report (released in 2007) concludes that the “warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global average sea level.” It further reports that the temperature change at the turn of this century is projected to increase by 1.1-6.4 C with a rise in sea level of 18-59 centimeters relative to 1980-1999 levels. As previously mentioned, this is caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the Earth’s atmosphere that is causing sunlight, that is reflected by the Earth’s surface, to be reflected back to Earth causing global warming. The major source of GHG is carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels. Because of global warming, the glaciers and ice sheets in the coldest parts of the world are melting, causing the sea levels to rise. The temperature increase also heats the ocean waters contributing to the increase in sea levels and the incidence of more powerful typhoons and hurricanes. The global warming also has caused heat waves, droughts in some areas of the world while other parts of the world are experiencing severe rains and floods. The Philippines is exposed to the effects of super typhoons, which are expected to become even more powerful in the coming years as a result of the warmer ocean water. The increase in sea levels will endanger the inhabitants of coastal towns causing massive dislocation, migration, loss of livelihood, reduction in agricultural and fisheries outputs, and health problems. What measures should we take? We have to do our share in reducing carbon dioxide emissions by “cleaning-up” our factories and transportation system. The smoke-belching campaign of government has not been found effective with many vehicles still plying our streets emitting a lot of black smoke. We also have to adopt power-generation technologies that do not add to GHG accumulation like solar, wind, hydropower and geothermal. We may have to require owners or designers of new buildings and factories to use self-generated power that does not use fossil fuels, like solar panels and wind turbines as part of their total power requirement. Owners of old buildings and factories may have to retrofit their electrical and power systems so that said systems become more power-efficient. We have to make efficient use of power and energy in our homes, offices and everywhere. We should encourage people to use our mass-transit system or have carpools and to use fuel-efficient vehicles. We need to protect our remaining forests that help in absorbing part of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. CO2 has an estimated atmospheric lifetime of 50 to 200 years. We should also mobilize people to plant trees to create additional capacities for CO2 absorption. We should also control population growth. A bigger population will require more houses, buildings, food, power usage, etc. which directly contribute to GHG accumulation. As an educator, I suggest that climate change, its consequences and mitigation and adaptation measures be taught at the college level as a separate subject. Higher education institutions should also be encouraged to promote environmental protection practices as their community extension programs to further help in the fight against global warming.