Foreign weather experts lend hand

BALER, Aurora, Philippines – The country has sent a team of weather experts to Japan to learn the latest trends in weather forecasting.

Sen. Edgardo Angara, chairman of the Congressional Commission on Science and Technology, said the country has linked up with Japan and Korea for disaster preparedness training. 

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) has admitted that the technology it is using is insufficient to monitor the severity of storms that enter the country.

“What we need is to adopt a pro-active approach in order to properly address this problem,” Angara said.

He said the training is in preparation for the establishment of a Philippine Disaster Science Center. His commission has allocated P100 million for the creation of a Philippine Disaster Science Center and disaster management training centers (DMTC).

The Climate Change Commission (CCC) is encouraging financial incentives for private and public firms who cut carbon emissions.

While it is establishing the governing rules and procedures in the carbon credit scheme, it asked Australian firm Shift2Neutral Pty Limited to temporarily stop its carbon credit activities in the country.

CCC vice chairman Heherson Alvarez said the government must first give all stakeholders involved a clear understanding of responsibilities involved in the carbon credit system. 

“This is a climate change undertaking where all stakeholders involved in environment and natural resources and river basin systems protection and management, such as forest dwellers, farmers, and even traders, must be considered,” Alvarez said.

Shift2Neutral Pty Limited has entered into an agreement with the Butuan City-based Tribal Coalition of Mindanao Inc. for a carbon credit arrangement, involving 340,000 hectares of their ancestral land in the CARAGA Region.

Alvarez said that under a conservative computation of 10 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) displaced per hectare of forest, the project has the potential to displace 3.4 million tons of CO2 annually, earn $68 million or P3.06 billion per year for the next 25 years, with the contract renewable for another 25 years.

“It is important that the rules are clear so that this vast asset would also be efficiently, competently and in full transparency managed for the survival of the country,” Alvarez said.

The CCC has already identified about 3 million hectares of forest that could qualify for the carbon credit program. Included in the 3 million hectares are river basin systems. This could bring $200 million or P9 billion for the country annually.

The carbon credit system aims to stop the increase of carbon dioxide emissions, which is blamed for global warming.

A carbon credit allows the holder, such as a country, to emit a ton of carbon dioxide. Industrialized countries who exceed their emissions quota can purchase carbon credits from firms or environmental groups engaged in carbon reduction projects, such as planting trees, to offset their carbon emissions. - With Rhodina Villanueva