Climate change center holds 3-day program - ROSES AND THORNS by Alejandro R. Roces

The Philippines acknowledges the vital need of taking steps to stop global warming and climate change. So through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Energy, the Philippines established the Climate Change Information Center (CCIC) very early in 1999. Tapped to be the main institution to conduct the activities of this center was the Manila Observatory of the Ateneo de Manila University. The Manila Observatory was established by Padre Faura and was the very first observatory to monitor and predict weather conditions in the Philippines.

Last October 27, CCIC took part in the ASEAN Senior Officials on Energy Workshop on Climate Change. One of the important results of that workshop was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the CCIC and the Asean Center for Energy. One of the agreements was to conduct "climate change information sharing" in order to raise public consciousness on the worldwide climate change problem. And so last Wednesday, the CCIC started a three-day program of activities.

The program opened with an exhibit and demonstration of two interesting vehicles. One is an electric jeep made by the Centennial Philippine Motor Corporation. It runs on a battery and has zero pollution. The other is a van made by the Philippine National Oil Company that runs on gas. Officials who attended the exhibit were toured around the Ateneo campus.

The second day consisted of a consultative meeting with industry on climate change and roundtable discussion with research and academic institutions. In the third and final day, an action-planning workshop was conducted and the whole program ended with the launching of the CCIC’s monograph on "Disturbing Climate."

Climate change is a global problem. Unless every country does its part, it cannot be solved. The first step in solving any problem is, first, to acknowledge that the problem exists; second, to take steps not to worsen the problem and last, take remedial measures to solve the problem.

Climate change is a very complex problem. Advanced nations that are calling the attention of less-developed nations on the problem ban the use of sprays that cause climate change. But they sell the sprays that they ban in their countries to third-world nations. Climate change does not recognize borders.

Climate change does not mean just a change in temperature. It affects the sea level and the weather. We have seen how El Niño and La Niña affect our harvest. We need to gather more and more information on the cause and effects of climate change on our archipelago. This information must be relayed to our people through mass media and our schools.

We are lucky that organizations like the Climate Change Information Center are concerned about pollution, alternative sources of energy and the change of weather that is affecting our agricultural and fishing industries. Their problem is to make it a national concern.