The urgent need to combat climate change (Part 1)

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

MANAGING FOR SOCIETY, THE MANILA TIMES By Evelio G. Echavez The urgent need to combat climate change (Part 1)

One of the major problems that the world is facing today is climate change, which is a direct effect of global warming. Global warming in turn is caused by the entrapment of the heat rays coming from the sun (that should have been reflected back to space) due to the build-up of carbon gases (that creates a wall or shield) within the earth’s atmosphere. It is generally accepted that the build-up of carbon gases in the atmosphere is caused by man-made activities like the burning of fuels, such as coal and petroleum products; and the denudation of the earth’s forests. Global warming resulting in climate change, has caused havoc in many places in the world. Among others, hurricanes in the south of the US and neighboring countries have become more frequent and powerful. Some areas in the world are experiencing more rains while others are becoming drier. Global warming has caused the glaciers in some mountains and icebergs to melt, which has caused floods in some places and an increase in sea level. The Philippines is highly vulnerable to the rise of the sea level, being a country of islands. As the summit of the Creator’s work, man who was created in God’s own image, was endowed with the unique power of reason and will. In the first pages of the first book of the Bible, Genesis, we find that God gave this instruction to mankind: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it” and to “have dominion . . . over all the earth.” Being the only specie on Earth given this mandate, mankind has the unique responsibility to make sure that the Earth will be in proper order. But as we know, over the years, this has not been so. During the last two centuries with the advent of the Industrial Revolution (which entailed the use of various conventional fuels) and the race to attain economic prosperity, the amount of greenhouse gases (mainly carbon dioxide and methane) in the atmosphere increased and the ecology of Planet Earth had greatly suffered. At the forefront of fighting climate change is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which recently concluded a two-week meeting in Poznan, Poland that was intended to launch formal negotiations on a treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol. The convention also intends to make progress in helping developing countries, such as the Philippines, cope with the effects of climate change. While the US has stayed away from ratifying the Kyoto Protocol, the European Union has led the way by agreeing among its 27 member countries to cut carbon emissions by 20 percent come 2020. Australia, which ratified the Kyoto Protocol only last year, is eyeing a reduction of 5 percent to 15 percent for the country by 2020. While the US federal government took a non-participating stand, some of the states like California took an active role in setting targets of reducing greenhouse emissions. Recently, the Iowa Climate Change Advisory Council released a report that a goal of reducing state greenhouse gas emissions by 22 percent come 2020 is achievable. US President-elect Barack Obama has indicated that his administration will play an active role in future negotiations concerning climate change. (To be continued in next issue)