A Microcosm of Metro Manila

A MICROCOSM OF METRO MANILA

by Anton Antonio

July 7, 2015

The accompanying photo was taken by Ms. Daphne Oseña-Paez on board a Philippine Airlines flight last June 12, 2015.  Ms. Paez is my neighbour in a village in Parañaque City, the wife of Patrick (who is a well-known television news reporter and anchor) and the sister-in-law of Fr. Dennis (a popular Salesian priest) and Philip (a childhood friend).

This photo of a part of Pasig City could be considered a microcosm (meaning: a community, place, or situation regarded as encapsulating in miniature the characteristic qualities or features of something much larger) of Metropolitan Manila. This aerial photo shows what (perhaps) is 70% of Metro Manila if a house-to-house ratio is used.  It is likewise plain to see that homes in this part of Pasig City are made up of low cost houses and ragtag shanties.  More worrisome is the degenerated waterways that could no longer be identified in this photo.

Typhoon Egay and the monsoon rains again inundated many parts of Metro Manila in the last three days.  The flooding in our country’s premiere megalopolis could permanently be solved or at least minimized if the natural waterways in Metro Manila are cleared, dredged and widened to their original state.  These waterways interventions might even prove to be cheaper in cost than the very expensive flood control projects being constructed at present.  In fact, these flood control projects are even being reported to have contributed to yesterday’s floods.

In an earlier blog titled “Clogged Waterways”, I wrote:  “Nature has provided us with rivers, streams, esteros and other forms of waterways as a natural drainage system to prevent flooding.  But these waterways could only function if they are not impeded by infrastructure or used for other unworldly purpose such as a community garbage dump.  No amount of engineering intervention such as the Department of Public Works and Highway’s (DPWH) floor control project will ever work unless these waterways are restored back to their old form… therefore, (a) freed from silt, and (b) cleared and widened from all structures.  Anything less will only result to our perennial problem of flooding cause by clogged waterways.” (Antonio, 2015)

Although we, Metro Manilans, are now used to flooding as part of our way of life, it should be noted that floods have costs --- financial, social, health and environmental.  These are costs that we simply cannot additionally afford.  Another issue is the carbon footprint this unhealthy human habitat system makes.  How much more environmental degradation can Metro Manila afford?

Thanks to the good person who took this photo.  It’s really a microcosm of Metro Manila.

Just my little thoughts…

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

REFERENCE:

Antonio, A. C. (2015). “Clogged Waterways”.  Retrieved on July 7, 2015 from http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/2015/06/clogged-waterways.html

Ice Bombs

ICE BOMBS

by Anton Antonio

June 24, 2015

Ice bombs can be considered playful stuff for kids and adults as well.  Dry ICE BOMBS are commonly made from a container such as empty soda bottles, water, and dry ice.  The bottle is filled with about one quarter of water, then broken chunks of dry ice are added, and then the container is shut tightly.  As the solid carbon dioxide warms inside the bottle, it sublimates to gas form, and explodes.  This is the common knowledge of what ice bombs are.

From the weather perspective, however, ice bombs are a weather mystery.  Here is a researched article on weather-related ice bombs:

“There is perhaps no weather phenomenon more bizarre, less understood, or under-reported, than the ice bomb.  In fact, it is unclear just how related to weather it even is.

What is an ice bomb?  Sometimes called a megacryometeor, an ice bomb is basically a large chunk of ice falling out of the sky.  By large, think perhaps 2-50 pounds, sometimes much more; something than can blast a hole in your roof several feet in diameter, something the size of a basketball or far larger, and that could, travelling at well over 100 miles per hour, damage or destroy anything (or anyone) it hits.

If you’re thinking about hail, think again.  Although hailstones can indeed grow to be dangerously large, ice bombs are far larger, and often fall when the sky is perfectly clear, with no storms or even clouds anywhere near.

Ice bombs have been reported all over the world and, in spite of their relative rarity, homes and vehicles have been severely damaged, and a few people have been injured or killed.  Of course, if nobody is there to witness such an event, the ice would simply melt away and leave no trace unless something was visibly damaged.  So we don’t know exactly how rare it really is.  It can be months between reports, but ice bombs can also occur in clusters, with multiple events happening within the space of a week or two, and within a few hundred miles of one another.

One suggestion, not unexpected, is that ice bombs could be the result of chunks of ice falling off of high flying airplanes.  After all, in the U.S. alone, thousands of commercial and military aircraft typically fill the daytime and nighttime sky in virtually every part of the country.  Some think it could come from ice buildup that can form on the wings, or even wastewater from malfunctioning systems within the planes.  Although the FAA downplays the possibility, the issue of ice falling from planes is still the subject of heated discussion.

However, there are ice bomb events that the airplane theory simply doesn’t explain.  Some events, for example, occurred prior to the invention of the airplane, with reports going back to at least the mid 1800s.  In addition, some ice bombs are simply too huge, some as big as a car, to be explained by ice buildup on airplanes.  Plus, in those cases where ice has been recovered and analyzed, results indicate that it does not have the characteristics of airplane wastewater.

Some people have suggested the possibility of small comets.  But, in order for ice to survive the fiery dive into our atmosphere at high speeds, the chunks would have to be quite large, and would have been spotted visually or on radar, which has not been the case.  And suggestions that ice bombs could be the result of unusual events in the upper stratosphere are difficult to accept, due to the lack of moisture and supporting air at such high altitudes.  Moreover, some analytical results point to a tropospheric origin, the lower portion of the atmosphere below 50,000 feet.

So the search for an answer to one of weather’s most puzzling events goes on.  Although we can take some comfort in the realization that the odds of ever being hit by an ice bomb are indeed astronomical, we are all forced to accept the possibility that there could be a 100 pound chunk of ice out there somewhere with our name on it.”

This is really a fascinating narrative about ice bombs and how dangerous they could be to earth, properties and man himself.  So, the next time you go out even in a day with clear blue skies, try looking skyward once in a while… who knows, you are destined to learn a not-so-common lesson about ice bombs.

Just my little thoughts…

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

REFERENCE:

allyknowsweather.blogspot.com, (2010). Retrieved on June 24, 2015 from http://allyknowsweather.blogspot.com/2010/05/ice-bombs-weather-mystery.html

Climate Vulnerable Forum Roadmap

CLIMATE VULNERABLE FORUM ROADMAP

by Anton Antonio

June 23, 2015

The impacts of climate change are felt more strongly in Asia, the most vulnerable region in the world.  Asian countries are already experiencing the impacts from increased intensity and severity of typhoons, drought and rising sea level.

Through the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), Asian countries are networking strategies to prepare for threats caused by climate change-related natural disasters.  The CVF is an international initiative chaired by the Philippines was organized by the Climate Change Commission of the Office of the President of the Philippines with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other national and international partners and co-operators.  CVF member-nations are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Philippines, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.  Participating governments to the CVF include Cambodia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Tajikistan.

To improve the Asian regional response to climate change, the CVF agreed to the following climate actions:

1.    Strong national coordination among institutions and departments as well as vertically within national structures and at the different governance levels.

2.    Mobilization of community and civil society in climate action and knowledge exchange between governments, experts and communities.

3.    Reinforce national institutional capacity and human resources for realizing climate action.

4.    Increased transfer, exchange and diffusion of technologies and expertise between and among developed and developing countries.

5.    Enhanced balance, access to, and coordination of, international climate finance, and institutional capacity for national and international financial responses to climate change.

6.    Greater regional cooperation and coordination (knowledge sharing, information management, technology transfer and development, policies).

7.    Promoting understanding and awareness among communities and the private sector including through an enhanced role of the media.

8.    Providing more effective enabling conditions for greater private sector engagement in driving climate action.

9.    Accelerate climate-smart industrial development essential for diversifying vulnerable sectors of economies.

10.  Enhanced infrastructure, research funding, and capacity for hydro-met and socio-economic data and scenarios for more accurate and robust policy-making.

Climate actions such as those postulated in CVF regional meetings like this will be considered in the formulation of the CVF Roadmap.

Just my little thoughts…

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

REFERENCE:

Environews.ph, (2015). “Climate Change Vulnerable Countries Push for Asia Climate Change Action”.  Retrieved on June 23, 2015 from http://environews.ph/climate-change/climate-change-vulnerable-countries-push-for-asia-climate-action/

Fastcoexist.com, (2015). “These are the Countries Most Vulnerable to Climate Change”.  Retrieved on June 23, 2015 from http://www.fastcoexist.com/3031376/these-are-the-countries-most-vulnerable-to-climate-change

Ten Commandments Against Climate Change

TEN COMMANDMENTS AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

by Anton Antonio

June 22, 2015

Pope Francis released his encyclical (meaning: papal letter send to all bishops of the Roman Catholic Church) about the environment where he called for “cultural revolution” to change our lifestyles.  Summarizing his concerns in ten major statements, largely prescriptions that everyone could choose to follow to stop the disturbing global warming, here are Pope Francis’ Ten Commandments of Climate Change:

I.      THINK OF FUTURE GENERATIONS.  “What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?”

II.    EMBRACE ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES. “We know that technology based on the use of highly polluting fossil fuels --- specially coal, but also oil and, to a lesser degree, gas --- needs to be progressively replaced without delay.”

III.   CONSIDER POLLUTION’S EFFECT ON THE POOR.  “Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain at the expense of the poor and the earth.”

IV.  TAKE THE BUS!  “Many specialists agree on the need to give priority to public transportation.”

V.    BE HUMBLE. “We are not God.  The earth was here before us and it has been given to us.”

VI.  DON’T BECOME A SLAVE TO YOUR PHONE.  “True wisdom… is not acquired by a mere accumulation of data which eventually leads to overload and confusion, a sort of mental pollution.”

VII. DON’T TRADE ONLINE RELATIONSHIPS FOR REAL ONES.  “Real relationships… now tend to be replaced by a type of internet communication which enables us to choose or eliminate relationships at whim.”

VIII.        TURN OFF LTHE LIGHTS, RECYCLE AND DON’T WASTE FOOD. “(Environmental responsibility can) significantly affect the world around us, such as avoiding the use of plastic and paper, reducing water consumption, separating refuse, cooking only what can reasonably be consumed… planting trees, turning off unnecessary lights.”

IX.  EDUCATE YOURSELF.  There is a nobility in the duty to care for creation through little daily actions, and it is wonderful how education can bring about real changes in lifestyle.”

X.    BELIEVE YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.  “We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it.”

For the environment advocates and activists among us, it is very heart-warming to realize that the Vatican, particularly the Pope, has thrown-in its support against global warming and climate change… and the cause to help Mother Earth save us.  Like God’s Ten Commandments, let us also adhere to Pope Francis’ Ten Commandments against climate change.

Just my little thoughts…

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

REFERENCE:

CNN, (2015). “The Pope’s Ten Commandments of Climate Change”.  Retrieved on June 22, 2015 from http://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/18/world/pope-10-commandments-climate-change/index.html

Effects of Increased Levels of Carbon Dioxide

EFFECTS OF INCREASED LEVELS OF CARBON DIOXIDE

by Anton Antonio

June 22, 2015

There are several effects of increased levels of carbon dioxide the most pronounced of which are chronic health diseases, global warming and climate change.  I guess these are just the common effects of carbon dioxide level increase and the visible tip of the iceberg so to speak.  There are other less noticed and known impacts though.

Here is another worrisome effect that was just discovered lately by researchers from the University of Gothenburg in Gothenburg, Sweden.  It was discovered that increased carbon dioxide levels in the air restricts plants’ ability to absorb nutrients.  This undermines the growth and reproductive capability of flora, seriously affects the balance of nature, and endangers food security.

The result of the research was published in the journal Global Change Biology.  The rapidly rising levels of carbon dioxide emission into the atmosphere affect plants’ ability to absorb nitrogen, which is the nutrient that restricts crop growth in most terrestrial ecosystems.  The researchers at the University of Gothenburg revealed that the concentration of nitrogen in plants’ tissue is lower in air with high levels of carbon dioxide.

When carbon dioxide levels in the air increases, crops will have reduced nitrogen content, and therefore, reduced protein levels.  The study focused specifically on rice and wheat which are the two most important crops in the world.  The reduced quality of these two staple crops will have a profound effect on the health of people worldwide.  Continuous increase in carbon dioxide level will eventually lead to deteriorated animal species, including humans who depend on plants and animals for nutrition.

Even a basic knowledge of the effects of carbon dioxide to the environment is good enough reason to be worried.  This new discovery should make us feel even more worried since it would ultimately impact on us, humans of the present as well as the future.   Positive world action should really be taken to combat increased carbon dioxide level.

Just my little thoughts…

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

REFERENCE:

Zhaozhong Feng, Tobias Rutting, Hakan Pleijel, Goran Wallin, Peter B. Reich, Claudia I. Kammann, Paul C.D. Newton, Kazuhiko Kobayashi, Yunjian Luo, Johan Udding, (2015).  “Constraints to Nitrogen Acquisition of Terrestrial Under Elevated Co2”.  Global Change Biology

The Coal War in Palawan

THE COAL WAR IN PALAWAN

by Anton Antonio

June 29, 2015

There are two tracks open towards the institutionalizing environmental reforms.  These are (1) environmental lobbying or (2) environmental advocacy.  In environmental advocacy, however, it will have to be coupled with environmental activism.  “An advocacy is a structured process to gain public support for or recommendation of a particular cause or public policy.” (Antonio, 2014)  “Environmental lobbying is defined as the process of putting pressure on members of the legislature or seeking to influence a politician or public official to pass bills on an environmental issue or established public policies on the environment.  The normal targets of environmental lobbying are the elected senators and congressional district representatives since our legislative branch is bicameral in structure.  Environmental lobbying with the legislative branch is effective on non-existent public policies of measure that are still to be passed as bills and enacted into laws or republic acts.   However, lobbying could also be done with the executive department particularly the department secretaries especially on laws that still lack the implementing rules and regulations or are presently being implemented.” (Antonio, 2014)

Between the legislative and executive branches of government, environmental advocates and activists are divided on which branch of government environmental lobbying could be more effective.  While institutional environmental reforms are best accomplished through public policies (therefore, the legislature), there are those who believe that there is easier access through the executive (particularly the department secretaries).  But which approach is more effective?  Your guess is as good as any.

The success of an environmental lobby and advocacy will largely depend on how strong the lobby is… or how much noise lobbyists, advocates and activists cam muster.  “If we are “noisy” enough about what we want to see happen, somehow-sometime-somewhere, this will eventually get to someone who could actually make it happen.”  (Antonio, 2013)  Let’s take the proposed Palawan Coal Plant for example…

In December 2, 2013, the secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) came up with a memorandum suggesting that the Philippine government makes a strategic shift to renewable sources of energy and depart from coal.  Lately, though, the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Palawan (using the Palawan Council for  Sustainable Development [PCSD]) granted a Strategic Environmental Plan Clearance (SEPC) to the DMCI Power Corp. and Palawan Electric Cooperative which will pave the way for the DENR to issue an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC).  To further strengthen the coal plant project, the Department of Energy (DOE) threw-in its support because it is consistent to the department’s energy sufficiency program.  On the other hand, on June 25, 2015, the Department of Tourism (DOT) cited the DENR’s 2013 memorandum to also take a stand against the establishment of a coal-powered plant arguing that Palawan is an important site for: (a) tourism development, sustainability, conservation and environmental protection; (b) a model destination for ecotourism; (c) a home to two UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) heritage sites; and more importantly, (d) a marine and terrestrial ecosystem known to be one of the most diverse in the world.  The Palawan Alliance for Clean Energy (PACE), an umbrella organization of Palawan civil society, is largely credited for the deafening and sustained “noise” that kept everyone aware on the propriety of the coal plant project.

It really is a confusing story with so many stars taking lead roles in this on-going coal telenovela in Palawan.  But from the many stars that are involved in the coal plant project, it is easy to assume that, because of its activism and vigilance, it was PACE that made a difference in the coal war in Palawan.

Just my little thoughts…

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

REFERENCES:

Antonio, A. C. (2013). “The Ripple Principle”.  Retrieved on June 29, 2015 from http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-ripple-principle.html

Antonio, A. C. (2014). “Stages of Environmental Lobbying”.  Retrieved on June 29, 2015 from http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/2014/12/stages-of-environmental-lobbying.html

Antonio, A. C. (2015) “Coal Plant in Palawan?”  Retrieved on June 29, 2015 from http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/2015/06/coal-plant-in-palawan.html

Antonio, A. C. (2015). “Coal Narratives”.  Retrieved on June 29, 2015 from http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/2015/06/coal-narratives.html

The Unique Features of Populations

THE UNIQUE FEATURES OF POPULATIONS

by Anton Antonio

June 29, 2015

A population is composed of all inhabitants of a particular town, area, or country.  A more technical definition of population is: A population is a group of interacting organisms of the same species living in a particular space (Medina, Zafaralla, Sierra, Cuevas, Macandog and Cervancia, 1999).  Other more common definitions of population are: (a) the whole number of people or inhabitants in a country or region; and, (b) the total of individuals occupying an area or making up a whole.

There are two basic sets of features of populations.  Included in the first set of features are: (a) POPULATION SIZE – the number of individuals; (b) POPULATION DENSITY – the number of individuals that live in a given area; and, (c) DISPERSION – the way the individuals of the population are arranged.  The other set of features are: (a) dispersion patterns; (b) population density; and, (c) growth rate.  A population can also be characterized by its pattern of distribution or dispersion, dispersal, density, and age structure.

The unique features of a population are the traits that characterize the population as a group (or whole) which are often not exhibited on the individual level.  Some traits of a population are:

1. Particular gene flow as a result of interbreeding;
2. Has a life of its own: it establishes itself, grows, reaches a dynamic equilibrium, and declines;
3. Has unique ways of allocating resources;
4. Able to regulate its own growth; and,
5. May have social behaviour and cooperates for defense, nesting or hunting.

Here are other population-related information:

1. All individuals of ethnic groups in the Philippines is a population is true.  All ethnic groups can be called collectively as population of indigenous people in the Philippines.  Although this is a superficial category from the point of view of an ecologist, it is important category to the development worker.
2. All birds inhabiting Mount Apo can be called a population is false.  The birds of Mount Apo belongs to different species, hence, it cannot be called as one population of birds.  Take note of the characteristics of a population that there is actual or potential interbreeding among the individuals of a population.  Hence, we can only call a group of individuals a population if they belong to the same species.
3. All remaining tamaraws in Mindoro can be called a population is true.
4. All of the fishes found in San Miguel Bay can be called a population is false (for reasons already stated in Item No. 2).

These are just some of the unique features of populations.

Just my little thoughts…

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

REFERENCE:

Medina C. P., Zafarall M. T., Sierra Z. N., Cuevas V. C., Macandog D. M. and Cervancia C. R. (1999). “Ecosystems Structure and Dynamics”. University of the Philippines Open University, Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines