DENR experts warn of dire effects of climate change

Negros Occ. (8 September) — Climate change will bring about catastrophic effects on health, agriculture and livelihood of the people around the world unless appropriate measures are taken to reverse or adapt to its effects.

Provincial Environment and Management Officer (PEMO) and Lawyer Edwin Banal said warnings are up for possible rise in skin cancers, cataracts and other related diseases due to the continuing heating up of the planet.

Speaking on climate change during the opening of the Journalism Seminar-Workshop of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) at the Grand Regal Hotel, Abanil said extreme weather- flooding and drought should be expected as the environment reacts to natural and man-made destructions made on the environment. The training runs September 8 to 10.

Global warming he said is the rise in temperature brought about by the greenhouse gasses as a result, partly, by man’s excessive use of fossil fuel or gasoline that emits carbon dioxide.

Because of this, scientists have seen a rise in the global temperature of.74 Celsius from 1906 to 2005 while rise in the surface temperature was place at.6 Celcius during 20th century according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The country is most especially vulnerable to the rise is sea level because it is an archipelagic island, he told the 185 campus writers participating in the training.

Malaria, dengue, yellow fever incidents are feared to grow as food shortage becomes a global threat especially in the third world countries.

Many areas of the world will contend with heavy flood while vast tracks of land will be rendered unproductive because of drought.

At the moment the government is doing all it can to mitigate the anticipated challenges of climate change but it can only do so much.

“We need the cooperation of our leaders and the people to meet the desired solutions needed,” he said.

Alarmed by these grave consequences President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issued Executive Order 774 reorganizing the Presidential Task Force on climate change to make the set-up relevant and effective.

At the provincial level the “Task Force Ilahas” is enforcing environmental laws to track down and prosecute violators as massive tree planting activities are held province wide.

He urged school paper organizations to help in educating the community and school on climate change through the press and by whatever means they could effectively spread the dangers the world is facing. (PIA-LOL)