Be afraid of climate change

The frequent massive earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, hurricanes and typhoons that have been happening in many parts of the world should warn us of an impending uninhabitable planet for the coming generations if governments don’t do anything to make it not happen.

That is no hyperbole, no sir. Former senator and Climate Change Commission head Heherson T. Alvarez called on Philippine and Asean leaders to heed the dire results and warnings issued last week by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), urging public policymakers to reassess decarbonization commitments made under the Paris climate accord.

“The trends in intensity and frequency of some climate and weather extremes have been widely experienced,” said Alvarez. “Warming greater than the global annual average is being experienced in many regions and some impacts may be long-lasting or irreversible, such as the loss of some ecosystems.”

The devastation and loss of many marine and coastal ecosystems are increasing, Alvarez said. Coral reefs are projected to decline by a further 70–90 percent at 1.5°C and ocean acidification is reducing the productivity of fisheries and aquaculture.

The IPCC, an agency of the United Nations, issued on October 6 a special report on the growing impacts of global warming and greenhouse gas emissions, concluding that climaterelated risks to health, livelihoods, food security, water supply, human security, and economic growth are projected to increase with global warming of 1.5°C and increase further with 2°C.

Stressing that current pledges by governments are not enough to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 centigrade, Alvarez said the IPCC report is an urgent wake-up call for governments and leaders across the globe to double their efforts towards a lowcarbon economy that will sustain our planet’s future for generations.

“To avoid further environmental catastrophe, it is imperative that Philippine and Asean policymakers conduct appropriate hearings to determine if nationally determined commitments under the Paris climate accord are being met or derailed so that corrective measures can be taken,” Alvarez said.

Governments must be prepared for COP 24, a crucial conference of parties in Katowice, Poland this coming December aimed at ensuring the full implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement, Alvarez said.

Alvarez, who is also chairman of the advisory board of the Washington-based Climate Institute, said the IPCC findings are not entirely new, pointing out that what is new is the level and speed of global warming impacts.

“Asean countries will be hit particularly hard by climate change, causing the region’ s agriculture dependent economies to contract by as much as 6.7 percent annually by the end of the century,” he said.

Citing an Asian Development Bank study, Alvarez said the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam are especially vulnerable because of large coastal populations facing rising sea levels and heavily dependent on rice and agriculture products which suffer from water shortages as well as floods.

By steering our economies toward a low-carbon path, the Philippines and Asean could reduce energyrelated carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2020 by switching from coal to natural gas and renewable energy like solar and wind for power generation, Alvarez asserted.

“Based on ADB calculations, another 40 percent emissions reduction can be achieved if our countries invested in more reforestation projects, energy efficient buildings, fuel efficient cars, and public transport,” he said.

* * * I agree with Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph G. Recto that Ambassador to the United Nations Teddy Boy Locsin is the right person to head the Department of Foreign Affairs. In a press statement, Recto said:

“This is one of the rare times that ‘the best and the brightest’ rule in presidential appointments has been followed. If diplomacy is the ability to tell someone to go to hell in such a way that he looks forward to the trip, Teddy Boy has this skill in abundance. Rarely can you find a man who can quote the classics but can curse like a stevedore. He will use his formidable knowledge in world affairs and in law in advancing our country’s interests and in protecting our countrymen abroad.”

* * * Now on its fifth run, FilipinaZ: An Art, Fashion, Jewelry Fair” in honor of the Filipina returns on November 9-11 in 8 Rockwell.

Organized by the Zonta Club of Makati and Environs Foundation, FilipinaZ serves as a fundraising effort that aids the organization in empowering women through worthwhile service and advocacy projects. It also serves as a guiding force for the organization to make it a platform that lauds local and international visual artists whose works celebrate the Filipina then and now and fulfill the organization’s goal of advancing the status of women.

A highlight of this year’s FilipinaZ is a special setting on the Philippines’ first National Artist for Fashion, Ramon Valera. Together with the Valera family, this fashion vignette will showcase Valera’s creations that truly celebrated who the Filipina is. Turn to page 8