Sunday, November 29, 2015

Lakes have Definite Limitations


LAKES HAVE DEFINITE LIMITATIONS
By Anton Antonio
November 30, 2015

“Lake Lanao is a large lake in the Philippines, located in Lanao del Sur province in the country’s southern island of Mindanao.  With a surface area of 340 square kilometers, it is the largest lake in Mindanao, and the second largest lake in the Philippines and counted as one of the 15 ancient lakes in the world.  The lake was formed by tectonic-volcano damming of a basin between two mountain ranges and the collapse of a large volcano.  It has a maximum depth of 122 meters, and a mean depth of 60.3 meters.  The basin is shallowest towards the north and gets progressively deeper towards the south.  The lake is fed by four rivers.  Its only outlet is the Agus River, which flows northwest into Iligan Bay via two channels, one over the Maria Cristina Falls and the other over the Linamon Falls.  A hydroelectric plant installed on the Lanao Lake and Agus River system generates 70% of electricity used by the people of Mindanao.” (Wikipedia)

Some pro-environmental groups are having serious reservations on the sustainability of hydropower.  Their uneasiness is based on the stability of source water levels.  And a protracted El Niño phenomenon that will most certainly render hydro power plants useless at the maximum and limited at the minimum.

Let’s take Lanao Lake as an example.  Lanao Lake feeds the Agus hydro power plant but for it to operate normally, it needs a water level of at least 699.15 meters above sea level.  As of November 5, 2015, the Mindanao Development Authority (using data from the National Power Corporation) reported that the water level in Lanao Lake is near the critical level of 699.86 meters above sea level.  The report further came up with the information that there is a power deficit and this situation necessitates the implementation of a rotating brownout scheme that will surely bring some degree of discomfort to the Mindanao electric consumers.  In key urbanized cities in Mindanao such as Davao and Cagayan de Oro, the Davao Light and Power Company and Cagayan Electric Power and Light Company have already announced the implementation of a two-hour rotating brownout plan until the Lanao Lake water level improves.

Hydro power is largely dependent on (a) rain frequency, (b) rain volume, and (c) other geo-atmospheric conditions.  (Aside from electric power, lakes are, in most cases, also the sources of irrigation water supply.  This also highlights the importance of lakes and irrigation infrastructure on food security.)  Without alternative and sustainable energy sources to back-up hydroelectric power and a protracted El Niño phenomenon, it is becoming obvious that lakes have definite limitations.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:

Wikipedia, (2015). “Lake Lanao”.  Retrieved on November 30, 2015 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Lanao


Saturday, November 28, 2015

The Tubbataha Reefs


THE TUBBATAHA REEFS
By Anton Antonio
November 29, 2015

“The Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park is a protected area of the Philippines located in the middle of the Sulu Sea.  The marine and bird sanctuary consists of two huge atolls (named the North Atoll and South Atoll) and the smaller Jessie Beazley Reef covering a total area of 97,030 hectares.  It is located 150 kilometers southeast of Puerto Princesa City, the capital of Palawan province.  The uninhabited islands and reefs are part of the island municipality of Cagayancillo, Palawan, located roughly 130 kilometers to the northeast of the reef.  In December 1993, the UNESCO declared the Tubbataha Reefs National Park as a World Heritage Site as a unique example of an atoll reef with a very high density of marine species; the North Islet serving as a nesting site for birds and marine turtles.  The site is an excellent example of a pristine coral reef with a spectacular 100-meter perpendicular wall, extensive lagoons and two coral islands.  In 1999, Ramsar listed Tubbataha as one of the Wetlands of International Importance.  In 2008, the reef was nominated at the New 7 Wonders of Nature.  The national park and the rest of the Philippine archipelago is part of the Coral Triangle, recognized as a center of marine biodiversity containing 75% of the described coral species and 40% of the world’s reef fish.  The area is under a grave threat due to overfishing and destructive practices.  Research of scientists visiting the reefs since the 1980s revealed that the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park contains no less than 600 fish species, 360 coral species, 11 shark species, 13 dolphin and whale species, and 100 bird species.  The reefs also serve as a nesting ground for Hawksbill and Green sea turtles.” (Wikipedia)

On November 5, 2015, the Tubbataha Reefs National Park was also declared as an Asean Heritage Park by a regional body tasked by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) with supporting conservation efforts in the region.  The inscription process was facilitated by the Asean Centre for Biodiversity.

The additional Asean declaration does not mean guaranteed protection for the reefs.  A lot will still depend on the efforts and initiatives of the Filipino people to actually protect the Tubbataha Reefs.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:

Wikipedia, (2015). “Tubbataha”.  Retrieved on November 29, 2015 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tubbataha_Reef


Friday, November 27, 2015

Killing the Future Generations


KILLING THE FUTURE GENERATIONS
By Anton Antonio
November 28, 2015

Coal is arguably the cheapest form of energy.  Coal is, however, one of the main drivers of global warming as it has contributed one-third of the total carbon dioxide emissions in the last three decades.  The environmental and health damage that coal and other fossil fuel producers can no longer be denied and yet they refuse to cut down on production targets and shift to green and renewable forms of energy.  They just refuse to adjust their business models.

Aside from the environmental impacts fossil fuels causes, there are undeniable health issues that are also being experienced such as the following:

  • In the year 2013, 25,000 deaths were recorded, mostly coal mines workers, from pneumoconiosis or “black lung disease”;
  • Every year, in Europe, 18,200 premature deaths and 8,500 new cases of chronic bronchitis were recorded; and,
  •  An estimated number of 250,000 die prematurely in China as a result of coal combustion.

The economic cost for coal-related environment and health impacts is US$50 billion. This economic cost can only increase yearly if a cap on fossil fuel-based energy is not imposed and subsequent shift to renewable energy is not made.

The “business as usual” and “coal forever” mindsets of fossil fuel producers can only be attributed to a steady flow of profits in the hundreds of billions in dollars per year.  But how much profit could satisfy man when he knows he is killing the future generations.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)


Thursday, November 26, 2015

Illegal Loggers in Your Cities


ILLEGAL LOGGERS IN YOUR CITIES
By Anton Antonio
November 27, 2015

Three days ago, I chanced upon a very short item published in the Manila Bulletin.  It actually was too short to even be noticed by most readers.  But small news as it was, it’s big news to environmental advocates and activists like the Pro-EARTH Crusaders…

“Manila Bulletin: “CAMPAIGN VS ILLEGAL LOGGING (November 24, 2015): 
ESPERANZA, Agusan del Sur – The regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR 13) yesterday ordered all field monitoring teams from Loreto town to La Paz, Talacogon, San Luis and Esperanza to step up their anti-illegal logging operators after reports that illegal loggers will attempt to smuggle illegally-cut logs, flitches or lumber during Christmas Season.  DENR 13 will coordinate with the authorities to arrest those who will be caught violating the Forestry Code of the Philippines.  From 13 hot spot areas, there are still two remaining hot spots of illegal logging in the region reportedly being utilized by an illegal logging syndicate allegedly involving Chinese businessmen based in Butuan City and Davao City. (Mike U. Crismundo)”

In February 1, 2011, President Benigno S. Aquino III signed Executive Order No. 23… titled: “Declaring a Moratorium on the Cutting and Harvesting of Timber in the Natural and Residual Forests and Creating the Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force”.  This Executive Order has been enforced for more than 57 months now but illegal logging remains; particularly in Region 13. 
 Isn’t FIFTY SEVEN MONTHS a lifetime for a government initiative?  This small news item seems to indicate that illegal logging still exist BIG TIME!  Calling the attention of Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte of Davao City and Mayor Ferdinand M. Amante, Jr. of Butuan City… there are BIG TIME illegal loggers in your cities.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCES:

Manila Bulletin, (November 24, 2015). “Campaign vs Illegal Logging”.

Official Gazette of the Philippines, (2011).  Executive Order No. 23, Series of 2011. Retrieved on November 26, 2015 from http://www.gov.ph/2011/02/01/executive-order-no-23-s-2011/


Wednesday, November 25, 2015

A Lifetime for a Government Initiative


A LIFETIME FOR A GOVERNMENT INITIATIVE
By Anton Antonio
November 26, 2015

Two days ago, I chanced upon a very short item published in the Manila Bulletin.  It actually was too short to even be noticed by most readers.  But small news as it was, it’s big news to environmental advocates and activists like the Pro-EARTH Crusaders…

“Manila Bulletin: “CAMPAIGN VS ILLEGAL LOGGING (November 24, 2015): 
ESPERANZA, Agusan del Sur – The regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR 13) yesterday ordered all field monitoring teams from Loreto town to La Paz, Talacogon, San Luis and Esperanza to step up their anti-illegal logging operators after reports that illegal loggers will attempt to smuggle illegally-cut logs, flitches or lumber during Christmas Season.  DENR 13 will coordinate with the authorities to arrest those who will be caught violating the Forestry Code of the Philippines.  From 13 hot spot areas, there are still two remaining hot spots of illegal logging in the region reportedly being utilized by an illegal logging syndicate allegedly involving Chinese businessmen based in Butuan City and Davao City. (Mike U. Crismundo)”

In February 1, 2011, President Benigno S. Aquino III signed Executive Order No. 23… titled: “Declaring a Moratorium on the Cutting and Harvesting of Timber in the Natural and Residual Forests and Creating the Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force”.  This Executive Order has been enforced for more than 57 months now but illegal logging remains… particularly in Region 13.  This SMALL NEWS ITEM seems to indicate that illegal logging still exist BIG TIME!  Isn’t FIFTY SEVEN MONTHS a lifetime for a government initiative?

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCES:

Manila Bulletin, (November 24, 2015). “Campaign vs Illegal Logging”.

Official Gazette of the Philippines, (2011).  Executive Order No. 23, Series of 2011. Retrieved on November 26, 2015 from http://www.gov.ph/2011/02/01/executive-order-no-23-s-2011/


Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Tree Torture and Murder


TREE TORTURE AND MURDER
By Anton Antonio
November 25, 2015

“Girdling” refers to the process of peeling off the bark of a tree trunk to prevent nutrients from circulating inside the tree.  “Girdling, also called ring barking or ring-barking is the complete removal of a strip of bark (consisting of cork cambium, phloem, cambium and sometimes going into the xylem) from around the entire circumference of either a branch or trunk of a woody plant.  Girdling results in the death of the area above the girdle over time.  A branch completely girdled will fail and when the main trunk of a tree is girdled, the entire tree will die, if it cannot regrow from above to bridge the wound.  Among the causes of girdling are human practices, including forestry, horticulture, and vandalism.  Foresters use the practice of gridling to thin forests.  Gridling can also be caused by herbivorous mammals feeding on plant barks and by birds and insects, both of which can effectively girdle a tree by boring rows of adjacent holes.  Orchardists use girdling as a cultural technique to yield larger fruit or set fruits, often called cincturing (meaning: the act of encircling) used in agriculture.  Only the layer just under the bark is removed for this technique.” (Wikipedia)

Girdling is an acceptable practice in agriculture and horticulture aimed at enhancing productivity especially with fruit-bearing trees… but never intended to kill trees unnecessarily.  This practice, however, becomes evil when the entire length of the tree’s trunk is girdled which will most certainly lead to the death of the tree. 

How can this practice be useful and advantageous to anyone?  In some instances, the practice is used for selfish reasons.  Please consider the following situation.  Let’s take the case of a land and infrastructure developer who wants clear trees from his construction site.  The biggest hindrance to his plans will be environmental groups who will, most certainly, oppose the tree clearing plan.  This developer will now resort to girdling to systematically kill the trees that obstruct his plans.  After the trees eventually die, it will now be easy for him to get a cutting permit from the government’s forestry agency because the trees are dead anyway. 

This scenario may sound fictitious or even preposterous to some but this has been happening here and all over the world.  Under this given condition, girdling now simply becomes nothing more than tree torture and murder.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:

Wikipedia, (2015).  “Girdling”. Retrieved on November 25, 2015 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girdling


Monday, November 23, 2015

Climate Change as a Socio-Economic and Political Factor


CLIMATE CHANGE AS A SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL FACTOR
By Anton Antonio
November 24, 2015

Will it be accurate to say that climate change has profound impact on our socio-economic and political landscape?  There are a substantial number of people who firmly believe that climate change has strong influence on the lives of all people all over the world.  Some even think that wars and political conflicts could be influenced by climate change.  Please read the following research article…

“CLIMATE CHANGE HELPED SPARK SYRIAN WAR, STUDY SAYS
By Craig Welch, for National Geographic
March 2, 2015

Research provides first deep look at how global warming may already influence armed conflict.  A severe drought, worsened by a warming climate, drove Syrian farmers to abandon their crops and flock to cities, helping trigger a civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, according to a new study published Monday.  The research provides the most detailed look yet at how climate change may already be helping spark violent political unrest.  “Up until now we’ve understood and established that changes in climate may affect human conflict in the future.  But everything until now has stopped short of saying climate change is already having an effect,” says Solomon Hsiang, a University of California, Berkeley professor who has studied the role of climate change in violence.  He did not participate in the new study.  The authors acknowledge that many factors led to Syria’s uprising, including corrupt leadership, inequity, massive population growth, and the government’s inability to curb human suffering.  But their report, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, compiled statistics showing that water shortages in the Fertile Crescent in Syria, Iraq, and Turkey killed livestock, drove up food prices, sickened children, and forced 1.5 million rural residents to the outskirts of Syria’s jam-packed cities – just as that country was exploding with immigrants from the Iraq war.  The entire world needs to be planning for a drier future in that area.  And there will be lots of global implications.  After examining meteorological data, the researchers determined that natural variability alone was unlikely to account for the trends in wind, rain, and heat that led to the massive drought.  All these factors, combined with high unemployment and bad government, helped tip Syria into violence.  “Being able to, in a specific region, draw this story line together we think is pretty significant,” said study co-author Richard Seager, a climate scientist at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.  “The entire world needs to be planning for a drier future in the area.  And there will be lots of global implications.”  Scientists and the U.S. military have argued for years that rising temperatures will likely spur waves of human migration and battles over increasingly scarce resources – particularly water.  That, however, has proved controversial, with other scientists arguing that there has been too little evidence to support the connection.  “There tends to be two points of view about this kind of research – either that’s obvious or that can’t be true,” Hsiang says.  “This paper is an important contribution.  It’s building on a collection of results that has really gained a lot of momentum recently.”  The research came about in part because one of the study’s authors noticed that Syria’s drought and wave of immigration occurred at the same time that violence was breaking out.  “Then we looked at the fact that there had been this warming trend and drying trend, which takes moisture out of the soils at the same time,” Seager says.  The drought was at least partially naturally occurring, he says, but it was the most severe on record, and its severity matched trends expected to occur with rising temperatures.  Still, he understands the limits of the research.  “All someone would have to say to criticize it is that all this would have occurred without the drought,” Seager says.  “That may well be true.  This regime was tremendously unpopular to begin with.”  But, Seager says, that’s not how events unfolded.  The drought increased the risk that the country would unravel, and climate change was almost certainly a factor in the drought.”

A lot of us will agree that this article is sad, worrisome and intriguing.  It somehow changes our views on climate change as a socio-economic and political factor.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:


National Geographic, (2015). Climate Change Helped Spark Syrian War, Study Says. Retrieved on November 24, 2015 from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/03/150302-syria-war-climate-change-drought/

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Game Changer Event


GAME CHANGER EVENT
By Anton Antonio
November 23, 2015

What is a game changer?  A game changer is an event, idea, or procedure that effects a significant shift in the current manner of doing or thinking about something.  In the field of environmental science, Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) could be called a game changer event.  And why should Typhoon Yolanda be a game changer event?  Well, this particular tropical storm is said to be a direct effect of global warming… and global warming is the main engine of climate change.

Here is a researched short literature on the strongest storm to ever make landfall in the Philippines:  “Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Yolanda, was one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded, devastating portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines, in early November 2013.  It is the deadliest Philippine typhoon recorded in modern history, killing at least 6,300 people in that country alone.  Haiyan is also the strongest storm recorded at landfall and the second-strongest typhoon ever recorded in terms of one-minute sustained wind speed.  The cyclone caused catastrophic destruction in the Visayas, particularly on Samar and Leyte, Cebu, Capiz, Negros and Northern Iloilo.  According to United Nations officials, about 11 million people have been affected --- many have been left homeless.” (Wikipedia)

Typhoon Haiyan, as scientific studies revealed, is the direct result of global warming and subsequently climate change.  Climate change deniers, for whatever selfish intention and interest, still regard Typhoon Haiyan as a “normal” occurrence.  Over 6,000 people dead and 11 million people left homeless is hardly a “normal” occurrence to me.  A continued belief that climate change is a myth could only mean “business as usual” for big oil and fossil fuel interest.  What then is the symbolism and use of Typhoon Haiyan as a game changer event?

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:

Wikipedia, (2015). Typhoon Haiyan. Retrieved on November 23, 2015 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Haiyan


Saturday, November 21, 2015

Aisa Mijeno and her Awesome Saltwater-Powered Lamp


AISA MIJENO AND HER AWESOME SALTWATER-POWERED LAMP
By Anton Antonio
November 22, 2015

Yesterday, the Pro-EARTH Crusaders Facebook community page carries a photo with the caption “We are proud of you, Aisa Mijeno.”  The posted photo earned a substantial number of “likes” and some adoring comments.  Here is a researched news article about Aisa Mijeno…

“ALL ABOUT AISA MIJENO AND HER SALT LAMP
By Kathlyn dela Cruz
November 19, 2015

MANILA – Filipina scientist Aisa Mijeno has no intention of competing with other inventors of sustainable alternative light sources.  In an interview on radio dzMM Thursday, Mijeno said she is aware that her invention, a lamp that runs on saltwater, may somehow affect businesses offering similar services such as companies producing solar panels.  Some Filipinos have started using solar to power up lights and appliances inside their homes.  Solar panels, though costly, help in cutting electricity bills.  Mijeno, however, stressed that she is not out to compete with anybody, saying she fully supports those who, like her, promote the use of renewable energy.  “Sa akin po kasi, hindi po ako directly nakikipagkumpetensiya sa mga other alternative light sources.  Actually, happy pa nga ako kasi renewable.  Kung renewable po yung means ng page-generate ng electricity para makapagpailaw ng lanterns, okay po ako doon,” said Mijeno, a computer engineering graduate.  She added that her main mission in inventing the SALt (Sustainable Alternative Lighting) lamp is to change the habit of Filipinos living in remote communities of using kerosene lamps and candles.  “Kasi alam naman po natin yung danger po na pwedeng idulot sa atin ng paggamit ng gasera saka ng kandila in case of fire accidents.  Tapos nagre-release po siya ng black carbon na nakaka-cause ng health diseases like lung disease and yung eye problem.  So yun po mainly and ina-address namin,” she said.  Mijeno, who is a member of Greenpeace Philippines, said it was during her personal immersion in Kalinga when she thought of making the SALt lamp.  Mijeno noted that residents in the remote communities in Kalinga have to walk for six hours every other day just to get kerosene to power their lamps.  “Since madalang po dun yung public transportation, wala po silang choice kundi maglakad.  Nilalakad po nila six hours papunta dun sa pinakamalapit na bayan para lang bumili ng kerosene na pangluto saka panglampara na magla-last lang po ng dalawang araw.  Ginagawa  po nila yun every other day,” she narrated.  With the SALt lamp, these people will no longer have to endure long hours walking nor spend money for kerosene.  To run the lamp, they will just have to make a salt water solution, Mijeno said.  With two tablespoons of salt and one glass of tap water, the lamp can run for up to eight hours straight.  Those living in coastal communities may also even just get ocean water instead of buying salt to make their own salt water solution.  They will, however, need to change something inside the lamp every six months.  But this item only costs P100, she said, so they will have to spend P200 annually to sustain the lamp.  IN the interview, Mijeno, who is currently a member of the engineering faculty of the De La Salle University in Lipa, Batangas, also explained the science behind the SALt lamp.  “Ang basis ay yung science behind galvanic cell, electrochemistry… Pag nag-submerge po kayo ng dalawang dissimilar metals in any form of electrolyte, in thie case saltwater, nagge-generate siya ng electricity,” she said.  Technically, this is a battery po.  Ang ginagawa lang naming ay we tweaked on the process, na binigyan namin ng kakayahan yung tao na i-drain out at i-replenish yung electrolyte para mas mahaba yung buhay.”

Aisa Mijeno suddenly became a household name after she appeared on television seated alongside President Barack H. Obama of the United States and Mr. Jack Ma of Alibaba in an event which was part of the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) economic leaders meeting.  We, Filipinos, could not get enough of our kababayan who came up with an out-of-the-box invention.  Congratulations to Aisa Mijeno and her awesome saltwater-powered lamp!

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:

ABS-CBN News, (2015). All About Aisa Mijeno and her SALt Lamp.  Retrieved on November 22, 2015 from http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/focus/11/19/15/all-about-aisa-mijeno-and-her-salt-lamp


Friday, November 20, 2015

The Canadian Garbage Mess (Part 6)


THE CANADIAN GARBAGE MESS (Part 6)
By Anton Antonio
November 21, 2015

The Canadian garbage mess is proving to be a long drawn affair.  Environmental groups have been waiting for the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) meeting to be held in the Philippines for the chance to bring the Canadian garbage issue to the attention of the Prime Minister of Canada.  Well, the long wait is over but this is what happened as reported by the Inquirer…

“TRUDEAU VAGUE ON ADDRESSING CANADIAN TRASH ISSUE
By Marc Jayson Cayabyab
November 19, 2015

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday vowed to close the loopholes in the law that allowed the shipment of Canadian garbage to the Philippines, but he remained vague on whether the trash would be shipped back to his country.  In a hastily called press conference with the social media heart throb, the prime minister said there’s a “Canadian solution” within its own legislative framework.  He only said the law which allowed the shipping of garbage from Canada must be fixed to weed out the loopholes that allowed the dumping of the garbage in the first place.  “I have been made aware of the situation and I’ve also been told that there is a Canadian solution in the process of being developed.  But, at the same time, I know that this has exposed a problem that needs fixing within our own legislation that we’re going to lean into and makes sure happens,” Trudeau said.  Asked to explain what action he would take, Trudeau said the law must be revised so that in the future Canadian companies which dumped garbage to other countries would be made accountable.  “Well, I think, going forward, we need to ensure that if a situation like this were to arise once again that the Canadian government has more power to actually demand action from the companies responsible.  I believe there are loopholes here that were allowed to be skirted that we need to make sure we close (these), both for Canada’s interest and for our good relationships with our neighbors.” He said.  Dubbed an “Apec Hottie” on social media, Trudeau’s attendance at the Apec was hounded by the garbage issue involving a Canadian company that shipped to the Philippines, in the guise of recyclable scrap plastic materials, several tons of soiled adult diapers and household trash.  As many as 55 container vans containing garbage from Canada were discovered in 2013 by the Bureau of Customs.  Instead of shipping the garbage back to Canada, the BOC has decided to dump the trash in Capas, Tarlac at the Philippines’ expense.  The Ontario-based Chronic, Inc. shipped the containers to Manila through its Valenzuela (City)-based consignee, Chronic Plastics.  The BOC files criminal charges against Chronic Plastics for violating the Revised Penal Code, the Tariff and Customs Code and the 1990 Toxic Waste Act.  The Philippines has been calling on Canada to take back the shipment under a 1995 convention on hazardous waste, which provides that “the exporting country must take back the waste materials if the receiving country refuses to accept them.”

There are, however, marked inconsistencies in the thought process of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.  While the good Prime Minister believes that the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) should be respected in the South China Sea disputes, he downplayed the Basel Convention to which his country is a signatory.  Incidentally, the UNCLOS is an international treaty (also known as the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea Treaty) that details the manner by which territorial claims must be resolved and the Basel Convention is an international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations specifically to prevent transfer of hazardous waste from developed countries (like Canada) to less developed countries (like the Philippines).  Prime Minister Trudeau, however, in more ways than one, assured the Filipinos that this will never happen again.  But what about the trash that at present remains unresolved?

Based on social media accounts, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau managed to quell the environmental passion of Filipinas (and the Filipino gay community) by his “Apec Hottie” looks… but this hardy solves the Canadian garbage mess.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:

Inquirer.net, (2015). “Trudeau Vague on Addressing Canadian Trash Issue”. Retrieved on November 21, 2015 from http://globalnation.inquirer.net/132289/trudeau-vague-on-addressing-canadian-trash-issue


Thursday, November 19, 2015

We Are Not Crazy


WE ARE NOT CRAZY
By Anton Antonio
November 20, 2015

Used to be…
  • We were walking the streets to conduct surveys to establish the level of awareness of people on environmental issues and people thought we were wasting our time;
  • We were cracking our brains studying and understanding environmental concerns so we could craft and communicate ideal solutions on our environmental malaise but no one seemed interested;
  • We were given the “which-planet-do-these-guys-come-from” type of looks;
  • We were laughed at for talking in a language --- greenhouse effect, global warming, climate change, ecological succession, etc. --- that seemed alien and most did not understand;
  • We were called prophets of doom when we begin talking about the dire aftermath of global warming and climate change;
  • We were avoided because most hardly wanted to hear what we had to say;
  • We were brushed off as irrelevant; and,
  • We were sometimes labelled as borderline crazy.

But now that Pope Francis and President Barack H. Obama are also speaking the language only genuine environmentalists, pro-environment advocates and environmental activists dared to talk before, we found ourselves suddenly coherent, talking sense, relevant, and accepted by society in general.  It took the head of the most powerful religious group and the leader of the most powerful country in the world to confirm we are not crazy.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)


Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Save the Only Planet We All Have


SAVE THE ONLY PLANET WE ALL HAVE
By Anton Antonio
November 19, 2015

The keynote speech of President Barack H. Obama yesterday at the Asia-Pacific economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering of business leaders in the Asia-Pacific region in Makati City focused on the need to make business sense an environmental sense as well.  APEC is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim member economies that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region.  In his address, President Obama highlighted the fact that global warming and climate change are real and substantial effort must be made, including the business sector, to mitigate its impact most especially among island nations like the Philippines.

United States President Obama has legitimate reasons to sound the alarm and raise the red flag on environmental matters.  Please read this researched report on global warming:

“GLOBAL WARMING PASSES CRITICAL ONE DEGREE MARK
By Climate Council Australia
November 11, 2015

The Earth’s climate has hit a dangerous milestone, with new research showing we’ve crossed the halfway point towards a global temperature rise of 2 degrees Centigrade.  Figures from January to September this year are already 1.02 degrees Centigrade above the average between 1850 and 1900, according to an announcement from the UK’s Met Office this week.  If temperatures remain as predicted, 2015 will be the first year to breach this key threshold.  The world would then be half way towards a global temperature rise of 2 degrees Centigrade, a threshold scientists say cannot be crossed it we are to avoid some of the most dangerous climate change “tipping points” such as the irreversible melting of the Greenland ice sheet, the partial conversion of the Amazon rainforest to a savanna or grassland, and the large-scale emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane from thawing permafrost.  It’s clear that our climate is changing more rapidly and with larger and more damaging impacts than expected.  The scientific case for urgent action could not be more clear.  Australia’s current commitments are not enough to protect Australians from worsening extreme weather events nor do they represent a fair contribution to the worldwide effort to bring climate change under control.”

The Paris climate talks scheduled in two weeks is expected to see all countries in the world to pledge initiatives towards significantly cutting carbon emissions.  The Paris climate talks is an ambitious event to save the only planet we all have.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:


Climate Council, (2015). Global Warming Passes Critical One Degree Mark.  Retrieved on November 19, 2015 from http://www.climatecouncil.org.au/global-warming-passes-critical-one-degree-mark

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Reducing Air Pollution


REDUCING AIR POLLUTION
By Anton Antonio
November 18, 2015

In a blog/article titled “Smog in the City” published November 12, 2015, I mentioned the exchange of comments between Dr. Consuelo dL. Habito and myself on the possible causes and ways to mitigate the ill effects of air pollution in Philippine urban centers.  “In the same post, there was an interesting exchange of comments between Dr. Conie (who really is my idol) and me that revolved around (1) the need to review our second hand and “surplus” motor vehicle importation policies, (2) the need to encourage and establish a sustainable public mass transport system that would cover Metro Manila, and (3) the ill effects of air pollution.” (Antonio, 2015)  To state a piece of legislation where our discussion revolved, let’s focus on Item No. 1: “the need to review our second hand and “surplus” motor vehicle importation policies”.

Republic Act No. 8749, also known as the “Clean Air Act of 1999”, is “AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A COMPREHENSIVE AIR POLLUTION CONTROL POLICY AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES”.  Article Four, subtitled “Pollution from Motor Vehicles” states:

“SEC. 21. Pollution from Motor Vehicles. - a) The DOTC shall implement the emission standards for motor vehicles set pursuant to and as provided in this Act. To further improve the emission standards, the Department shall review, revise and publish the standards every two (2) years, or as the need arises. It shall consider the maximum limits for all major pollutants to substantial improvement in air quality for the health, safety and welfare of the general public.

SEC. 22. Regulation of All Motor Vehicles and Engines. Any imported new or locally-assembled new motor vehicle shall not be registered unless it complies with the emission standards set pursuant to this Act, as evidenced by a Certificate of Conformity (COC) issued by the Department. Any imported new motor vehicle engine shall not be introduced into commerce, sold or used unless it complies with emission standards set pursuant to this Act. Any imported used motor vehicle or rebuilt motor vehicle using new or used engines, major parts or components shall not be registered unless it complies with the emission standards set pursuant to this Act. In case of non-compliance, the importer or consignee may be allowed to modify or rebuild the vehicle or engine so that it will be in compliance with applicable emission standards. No motor vehicle registration (MVR) shall be issued unless such motor vehicle passes emission testing requirement promulgated in accordance with this Act. Such testing shall be conducted by the DOTC or its authorized inspection centers within sixty (60) days prior to date of registration. The DTI shall promulgate the necessary regulations prescribing the useful life of vehicles and engines including devices in order to ensure that such vehicles will conform to the emissions which they were certified to meet. These regulations shall include provisions for ensuring the durability of emission devices.

SEC. 23. Second-Hand Motor Vehicle Engines. - Any imported second-hand motor vehicle engine shall not be introduced into commerce, sold or used unless it complies with emission standards set pursuant to this Act.”

The above-mentioned sections of the Clean Air Act were further enhanced in two sections of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for Republic Act No.8749:

“Section 5.  Use of Tamper-resistant Odometers and Fuel Management Systems. – Pursuant to Section 21 of the Act, the DTI shall prescribe regulations requiring the disclosure of odometer readings and the use of tamper-resistant odometers for all motor vehicles including tamper-resistant fuel management systems for the effective implementation of the inspection and maintenance program.

Section 6.  Useful Life of For-Hire Vehicles. – Pursuant to Section 22 of the Act, the DTI shall promulgate the necessary regulations prescribing the useful life of vehicles and engines including devices in order to ensure that such vehicles will conform to the emission they were certified to meet.  These regulations shall include provisions for ensuring the durability of emission devices.  For considerations of public health and welfare, the Department, DTI, DOTC/LTO, NEDA and DOF may develop and implement a program to ensure for-hire vehicles to continue to meet emission standards hereto described.”

An honest-to-goodness assessment of the Philippine transport situation will reveal that a majority of public utility vehicles are second hand or commonly known as “surplus” motor vehicles imported from First World countries.  This situation simply means that these particular provisions of both Republic Act 8749 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations have not been followed.  How do we now start reducing air pollution?

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCES:

DENR, (1999). Republic Act No. 8749. Retrieved on November 18, 2015 from http://www.denr.gov.ph/policy/1999/ra8749.pdf

DENR-EMB, (1999). Republic Act No. 8749 Implementing Rules and Regulations. Retrieved on November 18, 2015 from http://www.emb.gov.ph/laws/air%20quality%20management/dao2000-81-caa%20irr.pdf

Antonio, A. C., (2015).  “Smog in the City”.  Retrieved on November 18, 2015 from http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/2015/11/smog-in-city.html


Sick Building Syndrome and Indoor Air Pollution


SICK BUILDING SYNDROME AND INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
By Anton Antonio
November 18, 2015

There is a common misconception that air pollution is an outdoor problem.  By definition, air pollution is the presence in or introduction into the air of a substance or substances which has harmful or poisonous effects to living organisms.  Living organisms, in this case, can apply both to animals and plants.  Indoor air pollution also becomes a concern especially in closed, air-tight and air conditioned rooms.  This is prevalent in temperate countries where airconditioning is necessary under warmer weather conditions.

People living in temperate countries and in climate/temperature-controlled settings are said to have the “sick building syndrome” (or SBS) which may cause a variety of illnesses from long exposure to toxic gases such as carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, Radon, fungal spores and smoke.  SBS is a condition affecting office workers or employees working in enclosed areas, typically marked by headaches and respiratory problems, attributed to unhealthy or stressful factors in the working environment such as poor ventilation.

In most cases, cigarette smoking is the primary cause of indoor air pollution and the most dangerous indoor pollutant.  Cigarette smoke impacts more on non-smokers as second-hand smoke.  Countless researches indicate that first hand smoke inhaled by smokers is less dangerous than second hand smoke inhaled by non-smokers.  Research also showed that exposure to cigarette smoke (first or second hand) has more ill effects on non-smokers as smokers develop some degree of physical adaptation to smoke.  This, however, is not the case with non-smokers who are more health vulnerabilities.

Cigarette smoking restrictions will have to be strictly enforced to lessen, if not eradicate, the health impacts of the sick building syndrome and indoor air pollution.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)


Monday, November 16, 2015

Dragon Water


DRAGON WATER
By Anton Antonio
November 17, 2015

Two days ago, I posted an infomercial on Facebook about “dragon water” with the caption: “Iceland is Attempting to Harness “Dragon Water” for Renewable Energy.”  Most of us are familiar with the term “water dragon” which is a zodiac sign in Chinese astrology associated and known to be lucky, flexible, eccentric, imaginative, artistic and charismatic… but not the term “dragon water”.  One particular friend, Betchay Angeles Gomez, became curious enough to comment that she needs to read and research on this term.  As a response to Betchay’s comment, here is a researched material about “dragon water” written by Paul Brown, the founding editor of Climate News Network and is also the environment correspondence of The Guardian newspaper.  Please read…

“DRAGON WATER COULD POWER THE PLANET
By Paul Brown
November 5, 2015

The quest is on to develop new technology that can tap the intense heat deep below the Earth’s surface and supply the whole world with electricity.  An ambitious project is being launched to drill deep into the Earth’s crust to harness super-heated “dragon water” that would generate massive quantities of renewable energy.  Unlike traditional geo-thermal heat, which exploits hot rocks to produce steam for turbines, this project goes far deeper --- to where the pressure and temperature are huge but potential benefits are 10 times as great.  There is an infinite amount of energy beneath the Earth’s crust.  The problem is the technology to harness it.  The European Union (EU) believes that deep drilling techniques developed by the oil industry can be adapted to extract the energy.  It has earmarked €15.6 million for a project in which potentially the world’s most energy-rich geothermal well will be drilled at Larderello in Tuscany, Italy.  The technical challenges are formidable because of the intense heat and pressure that will turn steel brittle and wreck electrical equipment, so the plan is to develop engineering tools that can withstand the conditions. Iceland, which already exploits traditional geo-thermal energy successfully, has tried and failed to harness super-heated rock.  But it has not given up, and a second attempt is being planned.  The EU believes using oil company expertise in drilling deep wells will be the key to success.  At a depth of between two to three kilometers, the conditions change dramatically and drillers will encounter what has been called “dragon water”.  No one has previously manages to control the forces unleashed in a well under such extreme high temperature and pressure conditions.  Roar Nybo, a physicist at SINTEF Petroleum Research, explains: “One of the major uncertainties is the presence of what we call supercritical fluids.  At depths of two to three kilometers in the Earth’s interior, ambient physical conditions change dramatically.  Something very special happens when temperatures reach 374 degrees and the pressure 218 times the air pressure at the surface.  We encounter what we call supercritical water.  It’s isn’t liquid, and nor is it steam.  It occurs in a physical form incorporating both phases, and this means that it takes on entirely new properties.  Supercritical water behaves like a powerful acid, and will attack anything --- including electronics and drilling equipment.  In a TV fantasy series, it would probably be called ‘dragon water’.”  But the dragon water has major advantages too, Nybo says.  The fluid can transport from the depth up to 10 times more energy than normal water and steam can achieve in a standard geothermal well.  It also flows more easily through rock fractures and pores.  If researchers can succeed in controlling the forces involved, without the technology breaking down, then a new and vast source of energy can be tapped anywhere in the world.  Another potential advantage is that supercritical water can also transport valuable minerals to the surface in solution.  This could provide potential incidental revenues.  “The dragon of the deep may thus help us open a real treasure trove,” Nybo says.  The depths to which engineers have to drill to achieve the desired temperatures will vary from country to country, due to variations in the thickness of the Earth’s crust and the geothermal gradient.  In Norway, temperature increases by about 20 degrees per kilometer, while in other parts of the world, this may be as high as 40 degrees per kilometer.  The average is about 25 degrees.  Geothermal energy is being developed across the world and has huge potential in every continent.  Countries currently leading the way in the generation of electricity from geothermal sources are the US, the Philippines, Mexico, Indonesia and Italy.”

I certainly hope this (dragon water) new form of renewable energy becomes a reality.  If there are no serious environmental issues attached to it, why not?  We really are in need to identify and harness ecologically friendly sources of energy as an alternative to fossil fuel which is primarily being blamed for global warming and climate change.

Having worked for an oil and gas exploration managing company (Conley & Associates, Inc.) in the late 1980s, I should say that extracting and utilizing “dragon water” will prove to be a very daunting task.  I have serious reservations, however, on the two to three kilometer depth that the report identifies where “supercritical water” can be found.  Our company, using Rig No. 10 of the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC), dug the deepest hole in Southeast Asia at 18,369 feet which is roughly 5.6 kilometers… almost double the 2 to 3-kilometer mark as suggested.  Unfortunately, we did not find gas or oil of commercial quantity… neither did we find dragon water.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:
ClimateNewsNetwork.net, (2015). “Dragon Water Could Power the Planet”.  Retrieved on November 17, 2015 from http://climatenewsnetwork.net/dragon-water-could-power-the-planet/


Sunday, November 15, 2015

Climate Talks


CLIMATE TALKS
By Anton Antonio
November 16, 2015

On top of the outrage over the terrorist attacks in Paris last week, the pro-environment community are also worried that the Paris Climate Talks scheduled for November 30 to December 12, 2015 will be compromised.  This news item should assure everyone.  Please read…

“PARIS ATTACKS WON’T DETER COMING CLIMATE TALKS, OFFICIALS SAY
By Joe Roman
November 14, 2015

Both the French Government and the United States have confirmed that the big Paris climate talks scheduled for November 30 to December 12 will proceed as planned, nut with stronger security in the wake of the Friday’s terrorist attacks.  The much-anticipated talks “will be held with enhanced security measures but it is absolutely essential action against climate change and obviously it will take [place],” French Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius told Le Monde.  UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) spokesman Nick Nuttall confirmed that “COP21 [the 21st Conference of Parties to the Convention] is going ahead as planned,: E&E News reports.  Security was always going to be tight at COP21, as it kicks off with some 120 heads of state including President Obama, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping.  The French government is now reviewing security following terrorist attacks in Paris that killed 128 people.  AFP reports, “an American official said President Barack Obama would participate in the meeting.”  Significantly, while these are called the “Paris climate talks,” the negotiations actually take place 10 miles outside of the famous city center where tourists flock to see the Eiffel tower, the Louve, and countless other attractions.  The venue is Le Bourget Parc d’Expositions.  The site was chosen in part for security reasons.  The Paris Air Show is held at Le Bourget, and the site is most well known for being where Charles Lindbergh landed in 1927 after his famous solo transatlantic crossing.  Although the talks will proceed, there are hundreds of events planned near the Le Bourget or in Paris center.  Many groups are now reviewing their plans.  E&E News reports that “Climate Action Network [CAN] international, which represents hundreds of environmental groups dedicated to climate change, said they will meet Monday to discuss next steps.”  A CAN statement said: “The coalition organizing the Global Climate March on November 28th is meeting on Monday to discuss way forward.  We hope this weekend will offer more time for reflection, mourning and hope and that we can come together as a community on Monday when more information may be in hand.  The climate movement around the world stands for peace and justice.  To our core, we oppose hateful actions like those in Paris last night and in Beirut earlier this week.”

While we condemn the mindless terrorist attacks on the French capital, we also pray that the Paris Climate talks pushes through as scheduled.  Afterall, climate change can be likened to another terrorist cell that threatens mankind.  Let’s hope for the best in the coming climate talks.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:

ThinkProgress.Org., (2015). “Paris Climate Talks Security”. Retrieved November 16, 2015 from http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/11/14/3722291/paris-climate-talks-security/


Saturday, November 14, 2015

Trees Lost


TREES LOST
By Anton Antonio
November 15, 2015

There is this persistent notion that one of the single biggest reason for global warming and climate change is that we have been losing forest cover all over the world.  But is this just speculation or feeling or guess or the easiest fault or the convenient cause we could put our fingers on?  It there really hard evidences that trees are disappearing… whether at a slow or alarming rate?  Here is a researched material to enlighten us on this particular malaise…

“TREES ARE DISAPPREARING FROM THE WORLD AT AN ALARMING RATE
By Katie Valentine
September 2, 2015

Some tropical countries saw an “alarming” surge of tree cover loss in 2014, according to a new report.  The report, published Wednesday by the World Resources Institute’s Global Forest Watch, uses data on tree cover loss – a measure of the removal, natural or human-caused, of all kinds of trees, whether they’re in a forest or on a plantation – from the University of Maryland and Google.  That data show that in 2014, the planet lost more than 45 million acres of tree cover, with tree cover loss in tropical countries accounting for more than half of that total.  Tropical countries alone, the report found, lost nearly 25 million acres of tree cover in 2014, a chunk about the size of South Korea. The data shows that tree cover loss in the tropics is speeding up.  Brazil, which had reduced Amazon deforestation by 70 percent over the last 10 years, saw an increase in tree cover loss in 2014.  Indonesia, too, experienced an uptick in tree loss after seeing a drop in 2013.  “This analysis identifies a truly alarming surge in forest loss in previously overlooked hotspots,” Nigel Sizer, global director of WRI’s Forest Program said in a statement.  “In many of these countries, we’re seeing accelerating clearing associated with commodities such as rubber, beef, and soy, along with palm oil.”  One of those hotspots identified by the report is Cambodia and the rest of the Mekong region, which includes Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, and part of China.  These countries – other than China – saw an increase in tree cover loss that was five times greater than rate increases in the rest of the tropics.  But Cambodia in particular is seeing major surges in tree cover loss.  The rate of tree cover loss in the country is rapidly increasing, and in 2014, Cambodia lost four times the amount of tree cover it did in 2001.  In the Mekong region, rubber prices tend to pave the way for tree loss – as prices go up, more forests will likely be cleared.  The fact that Cambodia consistently came out on top for rate of deforestation from year to year surprised Rachael Petersen, research analyst for Global Forest Watch and co-author of the report.  “It’s not traditionally a country that many people would think of with crisis of deforestation,” she told ThinkProgress.  Petersen said the report looks at the broad category of tree cover loss because that’s what the satellite capture – they can’t differentiate between natural and human-caused tree removal.  And trying to track deforestation, she said, has multiple challenges.  “Deforestation is a surprisingly controversial word and hard to monitor,” she said.  “For some it’s permanent conversion of forest to non-forest,” while others have a much broader definition of the word.  James Anderson, communications manager for WRI’s forest program, said that there are benefits to tracking tree cover loss versus deforestation, however, and differences in definition is one of them.  “Some countries may report deforestation very generously for themselves,” he said.  For instance, the countries might say that deforestation only refers to the complete removal of forests, so clearing a large portion of native forest and replanting it with another type of trees wouldn’t count.  “The advantage of this data is that it’s sort of agnostic to this difference,” he said.  Anderson noted that these results will be important to countries leading up to the U.N. climate talks in Paris.  “Paris is coming up very soon, and countries are thinking about their commitments – how are they going to reduce emissions and where,” he said.  For these tropical countries, land use issues such as deforestation make up the bulk of their emissions.  “They’re not heavily industrialized, and they don’t have massive electricity and transportation sectors – it’s land use, that’s where their emissions come from.  Conserving and restoring forests are going to be their best bet for setting targets.”  One of the ways countries can start conserving their forestland is by indentifying degraded land that’s suitable for growing crops like oil palm but that doesn’t harbour forests.  Planting on that land, Petersen said, can help countries continue to produce income from these crops but do so on land “that isn’t as high in carbon value and biodiversity.”  WRI has been tracking forest and tree loss for the past several years.  Earlier this year, the organization found that the planet’s boreal region has had the steepest loss of forest cover between 2011 and 2013, with Russia losing an average of 16,600 square miles of tree cover every year.  And a mapping project put together by WRI and other groups in 2014 found that Canada leads the world in forest degradation.”

Political leaders all over the world must have to come clean and honest and report their respective forest cover situation.  This is not to point an accusing finger on any particular country but a sincere starting point to come up with a world-level reforestation program to make up of timber and forest products over-utilization.  It’s not too late, we could still make up for trees lost.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:

Thinkprogress.org, (2015).  “Tree Cover Loss in 2014”.  Retrieved on November 15, 2015 from http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/09/02/3697519/tree-cover-loss-2014/


Global Warming Deniers Club


GLOBAL WARMING DENIERS CLUB
By Anton Antonio
November 14, 2015

A lot of people really entertain doubts if there are people who still believe that climate change is unreal and just the product of the minds of environmental advocates and activists who simply are against “big oil and coal”.  Here is a researched material on this matter…  

“WHAT DO FOSSIL FUEL COMPANIES REALLY KNOW ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE?
By Rodgers Phiri, Lusaka, Zambia

Renewable energy is now seen by many people around the world as a cost-effective development solution for Zambia.  A report released last week by international development organization, Oxfam, argued that renewable energy is, in fact, a more affordable energy source than coal for poor people in developing countries around the world.  For instance, to start accessing power from Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO), a customer needs about $1875 for both installation of electric wires and paying the company to start supplying a given house hold with power.  It is a rare case that a poor citizen in Zambia can afford to pay this amount in order to start accessing power.  The report argues that as a result of the changing energy landscape around the world, the decreasing price of renewable energies, and the often remote location of the majority of people who don’t have access to electricity, renewable energy may actually offer a more reliable and effective energy source.  This is real in Zambia with the current electricity load shading making it more expensive, because those who have enough resources use solar energy as well as generators, unlike those who cannot afford to acquire equipment that use renewable energy.  Instead of relying on buying electricity units, the poor can actually use solar energy, which is abundant in Zambia and at no cost.  According to report author, Dr. Simon Bradshaw, “Four out of five people without electricity live in rural areas that are often not connected to a centralized energy grid, so local, renewable energy solutions offer a much more affordable, practical, and healthy solution than coal.”  As already stated above, renewable energy is a cheaper way of surviving for the poor, because they reduce their spending for home consumption.  For instance, Emerging Cooking Solutions (ECS) in Zambia deals in cooking utensils that use renewable energy and at a very cost effective rate.  The pallets, which are made from sawdust, are usually sold together with the brazier to the poor families.  This is much more affordable for the poor people who cannot afford to buy electricity or acquire expensive machinery to survive with the current electricity load shading.  “But as well as failing to improve energy access for the world’s poorest people, burning coal contributes to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths each year due to air pollution and is the single biggest contributor to climate change.”  As stated in my first article Call4climate Change, most communities suffer various environmental and social challenges including repeated pollution or contamination of their domestic water and land resources; unclean air, causing a variety of lasting respiratory complications; and damaged or run down social and economic infrastructure, such as recreation facilities and roads, due to the heavy traffic or trucks carrying copper.  The major communities suffering the effects of pollutions are Mufulira, Kankoyo and Chilanga.  This supports statements made this year by the World Bank, IMF and former UN Security Chief, Kofi Annan, who have all argued that renewable energy and not fossil fuels is the key to improving energy access and reducing inequity, especially in developing countries.  Earlier this year, it was revealed by the Union of Concerned Scientists that some of the world’s largest fossil fuel companies have been purposely spreading misinformation about climate change.  Some of the fossil fuel companies included in the report are Kobil, BP. Chevron, Conoco, ExxonMobile, Peabody Energy, Phillips, and Shell.  In fact, environmental group, Green peace, estimates that Exxon have spent about 30 million dollars on research and activist groups simply to promote disinformation about global warming since 1981, according to a tally kept by the campaign group, Greenpeace.  However, in spite of the best efforts of fossil fuel companies to spread climate denial and prevent the spread of renewable energies, they have begun to grow at an incredible speed around the world.  This is evident in Zambia, with the establishment of many filling stations in the country.  They say climate change is not real, but these words fight them back, especially during a fuel shortage, which is not a rare scenario in the country.  Some people are encouraged to use bicycles as a mode of transportation and a climate change adapting measure.  For instance, in the Eastern province of Zambia, people have resorted to the use of bicycles for transportation, because they will always survive the effects of climate change.  In fact, according to Christine Lins, Executive Secretary of the Renewable Energy Network for the 21st Century, “Last year, for the first time in 40 years, economic and emissions growth have decoupled.”  The Renewable Energy Network was recently responsible for producing a global study of renewable energy growth over the last 10 years.  What they found was quite surprising, even to its authors.  “If you look back 10 years ago, Renewable energies were providing 3 per cent of global energy, and now, they provide something close to 22 per cent, so that has really sky-rocketed,” noted Christine.  In the last 30 years, the number of climate change activists, environmental organizations, and firms offering climate change solutions in Zambia has increased.  The efforts of these environmental activists are seen by the increase in the number of people using renewable energy.  For instance, SNV and other organizations in Zambia are encouraging the use of bio-gas obtained from toilet matter.  This biogas can be used for all home consumption.  It is something very rare, but gaining popularity, in terms of usage in Zambia.  Zambia is learning from countries like Uruguay, which aims to generate 90% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2015, and Costa Rica, which has maintained 100% renewable energy generation for the first 100 days of this year.  Public institutions, such as city councils in the country, have resorted to renewable energy as a result of increased electricity charges.  The Lusaka city council has started using solar energy to power the street lights.  This is even reducing the council’s expenditure, because they will be using free solar energy, which is also renewable.  These countries are not alone and are fast becoming the norm, rather than the “alternative.”  Even small developing countries, such as Burundi, Jordan and Kenya, are leading the world by investing in renewable energies as a percentage of GDP.  This is important for Zambia and other countries embracing renewable energy, because these renewable energies are releasing less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, thereby contributing less to change in climatic conditions.  Fossil fuel companies don’t really know about climate change, because their main interest is making money and more profit.  Other fossil fuel companies know about it, but they turn a blind eye and are being attracted by the increase in the number of fossil fuel motor vehicles.  It is encouraging to know that the Eastern province of Zambia has prioritized the use of bicycles.  This is helping to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere.  The life span of non-renewable resources in being extended by the continued use of renewable energy.  For instance, the use of solar energy extends other non-renewable resources, such as fuel and coal.”

Extending the life span and availability may not auger well with big fossil fuel business.  There is only one word to describe their intention: profit, profit and more profit now and not later.  This is the interest and mindset of the global warming deniers club.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:

Climate Change Guide, (2015). “What Do Fossil Fuel Companies Really Know About Climate Change”.  Retrieved on November 14, 2015 from http://www.climate-change-guide.com/what-do-fossil-fuel-companies-really-know-about-climate-change.html


Friday, November 13, 2015

A Turning Point in the Caraga Region


A TURNING POINT IN THE CARAGA REGION
By Anton Antonio
November 13, 2015

The Caraga Region has traditionally been known as the “Timber Corridor” of the Philippines.  The region is composed of five provinces (Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Dinagat Islands) and six cities (Butuan, Cabadbaran, Surigao, Tandag, Bislig and Bayugan).  In spite of the fact that the region is a tropical rainforest where there is an abundance of forest and timber resources, the Caraga Region remains to be one of the poorest regions in the country. 

It could be noted that the incidence of poverty is also inversely proportional to the decrease in forest cover in the region.  Using this logic, therefore, increasing the forest cover will naturally decrease the poverty incidence in the region.  Some local government units in the Caraga Region, having recognized the need to encourage reforestation and tree plantation establishment as a means to economic development, have started institutionalizing tree farms as a way to move forward.  Here is a researched material on this subject matter…

 “BUTUAN CITY TRIES FOREST-BASED ECONOMY TO HALT POVERTY
By Magno Ardenia
November 12, 2015

The Timber City of the South is looking at trees differently now.  Butuan City Mayor Jun Amante said the government is now shifting to a sustainable forest-based economy, instead of aimlessly utilizing resources.  “These [trees} are a God-given resource which we’ve squandered for how many years, we’re trying to bring it back.  Where we failed, it is where we will rise also,” said Amante.  Amante said their reforestation project is also a mechanism to alleviate poverty in the city.  “We set a breakthrough goal, in June 2015 we’re supposed to plant 5 million trees, we exceeded the breakthrough goal, we are now down to 7.2 million.  We’re supposed to plant 5 million trees to put in additional P10 billion every year to cut down our poverty incidence from 26 percent to maybe less than 10 percent by 2020,” he said.  “The tree farming is only a driver for economy, the vision really is poverty alleviation,” Amante added.  The City Mayor said he convinced people to plant more trees by emphasizing that they could earn from it.  He said one hectare of tree farm can easily earn a farmer P2 million in 6 years.  “One seedling of falcate is P1.50, in six years time it can become 3,000 [pesos},” he said.  Amante said they are employing the ridge to reef concept, “planting hardwood on the mountain tops, mangroves in the shore line, in between are timber trees for production.  So we divided our zone into production zone into production zone where falcate grows… 20% for the protective zone.”  In terms of increasing food production, Amante said forestry is the banner project but their agroforestry mechanism also incorporates livestock production, aquaculture, and vegetable farming.  Butuan City has recently been awarded the Islands of Good Governance, together with four other cities.”

The people of the Caraga Region are the most skilled in the business of tree planting and farming after having lived in an area where trees can be found everywhere, where trees can easily grow, and where trees have provided most everyone with a source of livelihood.  In the last five decades, however, forest resources have dwindled because of over-utilization and less emphasis on reforestation.  The Butuan City pro-forest initiatives could prove to be a turning point in the Caraga Region.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:

ABS-CBNnews.com, (2015). “Butuan City Tries Forest-Based Economy to Halt Poverty”.  Retrieved on November 13, 2015 from http://mobile.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/11/12/15/butuan-city-tries-forest-based-economy-to-halt-poverty/


Thursday, November 12, 2015

Smog in the City


SMOG IN THE CITY
By Anton Antonio
November 12, 2015

Dr. Consuelo dL. Habito, Program Chairperson of the Master in Environment and Natural Resources Management program of the Faculty of Management and Development Studies of the University of the Philippines Open University, posted these pictures on her Facebook wall last November 6, 2015 captioned “Smog in the City”.  A closer look at the photos will reveal a very visible thick layer of gray matter in the atmosphere that seems to blanket the entire city.  In the same post, there was an interesting exchange of comments between Dr. Conie (who really is my idol) and me that revolved around (1) the need to review our second hand and “surplus” motor vehicle importation policies, (2) the need to encourage and establish a sustainable public mass transport system that would cover Metro Manila, and (3) the ill effects of air pollution. 

Dr. Conie really chose a very good descriptive caption for her Facebook post: “Smog in the City”.  Smog is a kind of air pollution, originally named for the mixture of smoke and fog in the air.  Classic smog results from large amounts of coal burning in an area and is caused by a mixture of smoke and sulphur dioxide.  Metro Manila air pollution, however, is not caused by the burning of coal but is largely the result of a mixture of solid particles, gases and chemicals in the air. 

Motor vehicle emissions, dust and other chemical and particles in air account for air pollution in the Metropolitan Manila area.  “There are over 70,000 synthetic chemicals in commercial use and application at present.  A majority of these chemicals have harmful effects to humans.  Examples of pollutants are particulate materials, lead, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, VOC and sulphur oxide.  Pollutants have ACUTE EFFECTS on organisms, including human organisms, which can immediately be observed upon exposure.  The acute effects of pollutants largely depend on (a) the properties of the chemical pollutant; (b) the concentration of the chemical pollutant; and, (c) the length of time of exposure.  The response to chemical pollutants could range from skin rashes, to nausea or even death.  On the other hand, some effects are hardly noticed even if exposure is on a day-to-day basis and for a longer period of time.  These are called the CHRONIC EFFECTS of chemical pollutants.  A combination of chemical pollutants can also create what is commonly referred to as the SYNERGISTIC EFFECT.  Synergistic effect occurs when chemical pollutants interact with each other or react to other substances.  The effect of these chemical pollutants in synergy, also called a bioaccumulation process, is very hard to detect.” (Antonio, 2015)

Dr. Conie’s photos are a testament to the fact that there is a big air pollution problem in most highly urbanized cities in the country… and a sense of urgency needs to be institutionalized to mitigate this problem’s impact.  Whenever you see a thick gray film of air in the horizon, be worried shitless… we have smog in the city.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

(Please visit, like and share Pro-EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/ and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)

REFERENCE:

Antonio, A. C., (2015). “Effects of Pollutants”. Retrieved on November 12, 2015 from http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/2015/05/effects-of-pollutants.html