(As people worldwide try to find meaning why International Mother Earth Day is celebrated every 22nd of April yearly, Mother Earth, on the other hand, has to contend with fighting off humans’ uncaring acts that leads to global ecological crisis.)
LA TRINIDAD, Benguet—A new global study of acid pollution, described as the first of its kind, has drastically changed the view that acid rain is solely a West European or North American phenomenon.
The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) has already carried out country case studies and all confirm the alarming spread of the crisis.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are all victims of acid rain. ASEAN is composed of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Closer to home in Benguet, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) of the Philippines, a study titled, Assessing the Climate Change Adaptation of Upland Farmers: A Case of La Trinidad, Benguet, Philippines has been conducted that captured people’s concept of adaptation as it includes government policies and behavior of people.
The study has proven that climate change is here to stay for a long time, forcing Benguet farmers to adapt to the situation using long years of experience through years of farming. Their adaptations are not permanent as climate changes yearly and the farmers have to constantly innovate.
Their adaptations have been found effective as protection to the variable onset of summer and rainy seasons.
However, respondents of the study revealed water quantity and quality of water has been greatly affected by climate change and unless the municipal government or La Trinidad Water District address the situation, household water supply will become severely impacted.
As to household economy, respondents revealed they have to deal with practicing “different scarcity adjustments” to minimize the brunt of climate change in their households, showing increase in income and changes in living conditions due to adaptations employed by La Trinidad residents.
Benguet farmers with single farmland appeared in the study to be more vulnerable to climate change impact as the hover between 50% fail and 50% success to hit price upon harvest of their crops.
For example, farmer respondents cultivating a 500 square meters of land are not sufficient to sustain the needs of their livelihoods with climate change affecting the land, thus the need for adaptation like use of black polyethylene plastics, wind tunnels and greenhouses.
Respondents revealed they spend around 25,000 to 50,000 pesos to implement adaptation measures. But such can increase to 75,000 when water is scarce, as proven by the fact that La Trinidad residents are now contending with water shortage and buying a drum of water costs 40 pesos.
Overall, the study concluded that cost of adaptation is one factor hindering other residents to adapt and mitigate climate change in their lives.
It further concluded the need of institutional capacity, institutional support and technical assistance from the government and private institutions to render La Trinidad folks the ability to cope with climate adaptation.
All institutions and agencies that support climate change adaptation should synchronize their projects to address other social needs of La Trinidad Valley. In the context of climate change, not only the farmers are affected but also the various support systems or elements of Mother Nature’s ecosystem, the study stressed.
On the Asia level, toxic levels of air pollution are disrupting the lives of millions of people in South Asia, even forcing closure of schools and other establishments, impacting sports events and leaving governments scrambling how to deal with the problem.
Among ASEAN, it is the Philippines, with the government possessed with an innate understanding of the acute impacts of climate change, becoming one of the world’s strongest voices in leading the global movement to combat the problem.
With more than 60% of the Filipino population residing within coastal zones and are acutely impacted by climate change, the Philippines is acting with urgency and commitment by passing legislation and promoting use of renewable energy and focusing on country-wide conservation.
It has in fact, revised its target to cut down greenhouse gas emissions to 75% reduction, under its commitment to the Paris Agreement on climate change, where four years ago, its target was 70%.
ASEAN has its own problems because of rapid industrialization. Energy demands are rising. Coal-fired power plants in the region are expected to expand their capacity in the next coming seven years.
It brings around the question which ASEAN country will be the first to decarbonize their power sectors in the next 1-15 years with the perspective of achieving clean energy generation without the use of coal.
At present, ASEAN power sector emissions continue to grow, peaking at 805 million metric tons.
In 2022, greenhouse gas emissions from electricity production in the Philippines amounted to 76.28 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, a 3% increase of the year 2021.
In the Philippines, greenhouse gas emissions have been dominated by the energy sector at 54%; agriculture, 33%; industrial processes, 8% and waste, 7% according to a study conducted by USAID.
Land use and forestry use in the Philippines is a net sink, absorbing more emissions than it releases due primarily to activities in the forest land sub sector which in 2012, removed 1.64 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
Within the Philippines energy sector, electricity and heat production contributed 45% of the sector emissions.
Energy sector emissions increased by 43 metric tons of carbon dioxide since 2012 with electricity and heat production driving the increase, followed by transportation. Total electricity generation almost tripled.
Despite a 66% reduction in the share of power generation from oil, the share of coal-fired power generation in the Philippines grew from 7% to 39% and the share of natural gas increased from zero to 27%, USAID observed.
However, hydroelectric, geothermal, waste, wind and solar photovoltaic power generation has started doubling in the Philippines. Total share of generation from renewables reached 28%. As of 2012, total installed electric generation capacity was nearly 17,000 megawatts.
Almost 77% of households in the Philippines has electricity, with the government planning to achieve 90%, USAID said.
Increased grid interconnections through transmission lines and submarine cables between Philippine islands are planned to support a future unified grid, USAID stressed.
Greenhouse gas emissions in the Philippines will continue to increase by an average 2.1% annually, but the Philippines is committed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 70% by 2030, USAID observed.
Climate ambition in the ASEAN region needs to be in harmony with the long term development objectives of each ASEAN member state. Member states also need to account for the societal changes and impacts from the Covid-19 pandemic, while underscoring the significance of green recovery.
Burning fossil fuel can bring acid rain emission to ASEAN to a total of 1.2 million tons or more in a region where soils are highly susceptible to acidification. Uncontrolled emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide from various sources are the main culprits leading to acid rain. The emitted pollutants dissolve in atmospheric water vapor and turn into acids.
Energy demands are rising in ASEAN. Coal-fired power plants in ASEAN are expected to expand their capacity to over 25,000 megawatts and would increase their consumption to over 60 million tons over the next decade.
Acid rain emissions of 1.2 million or more tons will be recorded in a region where the soils are highly susceptible to acidification, IIED explained.
A major hazard is the volume of road traffic in almost all ASEAN major cities. According to experts, traffic is responsible for 92% of air pollution in Kuala Lumpur and 75% in Metro Manila. These are caused by all types of motor vehicles.
IIED stressed that ASEAN cities face even worse pollution, courting the risk of dry acid deposition. As an example, experts point out that commercial centers like that of Malaysia are known to be several degrees warmer than the surrounding countryside.
Such conditions create heat islands, which in calm conditions produce a circular air flow above the city. Hence, the sulfur and nitrogen oxides and other pollutants are re-circulated within a city locality, posing potential threat to millions of persons.
The ability of the air to clean up the atmosphere has been greatly reduced. Air over most of ASEAN cities is still and stable, giving them little ventilation and creating ideal conditions for build-up of air pollutants.
In the case of the Philippines, the government is implementing measures at boosting renewable energy capacity in line with the 2008 Renewable Energy Act. The National Energy Renewable Plan is to achieve 35% share for renewables in electricity generation by 2030.