2 weeks Ago
Department of Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum emphasized the need for sustainable development on Wednesday while lamenting the devastation wrought by tropical cyclone Kristine (international name: Trami). Last week, Kristine swept across parts of Luzon, bringing with it powerful winds and intense rains. In one day, Albay and Naga City received two months' worth of rain, according to officials.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Tuesday that 125 people had been killed in the aftermath of Kristine and amid the onslaught of Super Typhoon Leon (international name: Kong-Rey), with an estimated P4.3 billion in damage to agriculture and infrastructure. A total of 7,134,954 people, or 1,789,276 families, were affected by the two tropical cyclones.
''With the recent battering of Typhoon Kristine, we cannot anymore say that climate change is a hoax,'' Solidum said in his speech at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week in Quezon City, as he showed a satellite image of Kristine and the devastated communities it left behind. ''Its effects are tangible, and there is no more important time to stress this than today—that we're going to reap what we sow, and we hope that we sow good seeds from now on, for us, for our children, and for our children's children, for the next generations to not experience the same magnitude of disasters that we have faced in recent times,'' he added. Humans' never-ending pursuit of growth, according to Solidum, "comes with a price.
" ''We reap what we sow. And for these several past years, we've been talking about this. We have developed and are still continuously progressing at the expense of our environment,'' Solidum said.
He said disasters are caused by ''our human choices, by our action, and by our inaction.'' The annual Emissions Gap report, which takes stock of countries' promises to tackle climate change compared with what is needed, finds the world faces as much as 3.1°C (5.
6°F) of warming above pre-industrial levels by 2100 if governments do not take greater action on slashing planet-warming emissions. Global greenhouse gas emissions rose by 1.3% between 2022 and 2023, to a new high of 57.
1 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, the report prepared by the UN Environment Programme said. Governments in 2015 signed up to the Paris Agreement and a cap of 1.5°C (2.
7°F) warming to prevent a cascade of dangerous impacts such as extreme droughts and stronger tropical cyclones. ''We Filipinos are often seen as victims of disasters. But through science, technology, innovation, and collaboration, we can change this narrative,'' Solidum said.
''Let us invest in our environment as much as we invest in our children. As much as they deserve good health and education, we also deserve clean oceans and rivers, luscious forests, and healthy lands, green spaces and open parks, clean transportation, safe roads, and all the things that come with it sustainably,'' he added. ''This is their home, and they deserve a future home that is healthy and breathable, one that is green and bright.
'' — with a report from Reuters/GMA Integrated News.
