LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – There is undeniable proof, as sustained by scientists, of the existence of certain gases swirling in the atmosphere in small amounts, but whose combined effect within five years from now – or 2030 – could worsen global warming menace.
Dubbed “trace gases,” these include nitrous oxide or laughing gas, chlorofluorocarbons (used in refrigeration, aerosol sprays and industry), methane, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, sulfur oxide, formaldehyde, methane, among others.
But the most abundant of the gases that affect climate is carbon dioxide whose two principal man-made sources are burning of fossil fuels and clearing of forest lands for agriculture. This scenario happens both in rural and urban areas in the Philippines, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) included.
In the atmosphere, scientists think carbon dioxide comprises about 0.03 percent of its volume.
Carbon dioxide and trace gases constitute what environmental experts term as “greenhouse gases.” The two words compare with the phenomenon in agricultural greenhouses seen in planting areas like in La Trinidad and other municipalities in CAR.
In a greenhouse, the heat from the sun and atmosphere warms the plants including the air and soil inside a greenhouse. The explanation coming from agricultural experts of Benguet State University (BSU) and farmers in La Trinidad and other municipalities point out that the glass or plastic sheeting is almost completely transparent to the sun, letting through up to 90 per cent of the radiation striking it.
A cooling mechanism stabilizes the temperature at a reasonable level, that is, however, much higher than the air outside. This cooling mechanism depends on the way in which the interior of a greenhouse radiates energy (radiation or heat) back into the atmosphere and ultimately into space.
Other greenhouse structures in CAR which possess no cooling mechanism have their entry or exit open to allow air to circulate freely and cool the plants immediate atmosphere and environs.
But in the case of the rising temperature of the earth caused by the greenhouse gases, the greenhouse effect refers to the difference between the amount of radiation emitted by the earth and that sent by the atmosphere into space.
The more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the more radiation is absorbed by the earth and, therefore, the less energy is shot back to space. What does this connote?
It simply means the “greenhouse effect” is a major threat to humankind’s survival. Or, simplifying further, it is a menace to all people of all nationalities, race, creed or color and, least but not least, of Mother Earth.
A United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) study titled “The Greenhouse Gases” pointedly took note that increasing concentrations of trace gases in the atmosphere will produce a substantially warmer climate on the earth.
“By absorbing some of the radiation emitted by the earth, trace gases like carbon monoxide, can force the temperature of the earth — like that of a greenhouse – to rise,” according to the UN’S technical explanation. And if present trends continue, a climate warming of a few degrees Celsius will be inevitable before the middle of the next century.
“Such an increase will have profound effect on climate, “the UN study stressed. Since, as the earth warms up, it emits more radiation but more water would also be evaporated from the earth’s surface since the extra radiation from the atmosphere will be consumed to evaporate water than heat the surface.
Hence, the net result of increasing the greenhouse effect on earth isn’t only a warmer earth but a drier soil and wetter atmosphere.
A critical question comes begging: Will sea levels rise as an outcome of an increase in temperature? The UN study zeroed in on international scientists reckoning that if the Antarctic ice were to melt, world sea levels will rise by 80 meters and will flood the world’s major cities and all ports.
Closer to home in in CAR, a study titled “Adapting to Climate Change: The Cordillera Experience,” and conducted by researchers Roberto Sandoval, Jr. and Stephan Baas, explained in a synopsis that manifestations of climate change are now felt, especially by upland farmers whose production is increasingly becoming vulnerable to unpredictable weather conditions.
While CAR communities are able to maintain a degree of sustainable relationship with existing resources through indigenous practices and knowledge, climate change has severely affected CAR’s agriculture sector.
These frequent and intense environmental changes brought about by environmental abuse have prompted Benguet and Ifugao provinces to jointly develop climate adaptation measures to help farmers adjust in facing environmental changes.
In Benguet, for instance, extreme temperature has brought about soil nutrient depletion, vulnerability to landslides leading to crop failure while in Ifugao, it is subjected to irregular rainfall, longer dry spells, intense typhoons and landslides making rice production difficult.
Cooperation between the provinces has been officially called “Enhanced Climate Change Adaptation Capacity of Communities in Contiguous Fragile Ecosystems in the Cordilleras,” and is being undertaken jointly by the Department of Agriculture (DA-CAR), Food and Agriculture organization (FAO) of the UN with the primary objective of building up capacities of farmers to cope up with unpredictable change variations.
These change options pertain to maintaining indigenous practices while at the same time incorporating new ideas for potential location-specific agricultural practices able to increase farmers’ resilience and better prepare them for climate change-induced droughts, floods, pests, diseases and other hazards.
Climate change adaptation for the two provinces will include pursuits on forest enrichment, livestock and crop production, water management and alternative livelihood which will be scaled up.
Project proponents – the government and the UN- in implementing this CAR project took into the whole gamut of climate change problems and ranged these with technical suitability, environmental efficiency, effectiveness, socio-cultural and economic acceptability.
Reason behind such a move is that they want the CAR project to be duplicated or replicated in other regions in the Philippines.
A unique part of the project’s effort in mitigating environmental abuse is the full participation of females, a gender consideration, present in all levels of activity in the climate- change adaptation. More than 50 per cent of all training participants were females in the healthy gender-mix.
Several women cooperators were also at the forefront of pilot demonstrations, which helped increase their ability to adapt to the risks posed by environmental and economic shocks.
On the other hand, the UNEP study offered recommendations in the battle against climate warming, like reducing rates at which fossil fuels are burnt, filtering out greenhouse gases during industrial production, recovering greenhouse gases already released and disposing of them elsewhere and last but not least, accepting the changing environment and adapting to it.
UNEP’s last recommendation is what the Philippine government down to the Local Government Unit (LGU) are striving for, as seen in the project being implemented in Benguet and Ifugao.
Project implementers accept the fact that not many understand the problem caused by accelerated combustion of fossil fuels, increasing use of certain rare gases and burning of forests as these are converted to farmlands to meet the needs of a Philippine growing population.
But the consensus in the scientific community that climate change through greenhouse effect is a major threat to human survival is pushing them to advocate countrywide for adaptations to address climate change impact, reduce risk of climate variability, extreme weather events while enhancing livelihood security.
Climate change, as a result of environmental abuse, has positioned the Philippines the third most vulnerable country to climate change impacts. These include annual losses on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), representing 3 per cent or USD 12 billion, rainfall pattern changes and distribution, threats to biodiversity and security, sea level rise, and public health risk.
One impact project implementers are sensitive to its endangerment on vulnerable groups such as women, children, elderly, physically challenged and indigenous tribal folks.
The World Health Organization (WHO) in looking at the warming climate explained its impact tends to affect women at a younger age. Climate-sensitive and gender-specific health impacts affect women disproportionately than males.
On another front, CAR loses around 500 hectares of forest cover yearly due to extreme climate conditions and threatens CAR’s watershed cradle for Northern Luzon as forest cover has shrunk to 47 per cent. The province of Apayao continues to have the highest forest loss in CAR.
While Philippine-wide, over 1 million hectares of grasslands are highly vulnerable to warming climate. Most of these grasslands are in upland regions of the country and are prone to fires during extended periods of dryness and lack of rains.
Climate change, rapid urbanization and population growth add up to Philippine water scarcity. The World Resources Institute, in a recent study, found that among 167 countries, the Philippines ranks 57th as “most water stressed” and it will be agriculture that will bear the brunt of the stressed burden.
Is climate change then an existential risk, or are we merely being led by alarmists?
The evidence is clear as humans are at a crossroad. The decisions made today can secure a livable future. Humans have the tools and knowledge to do it and can halve greenhouse emissions by 2030.
As in the Philippines, having the right policies, infrastructure and technology in place to enable changes in lifestyle and behavior can result in greenhouse reduction. It is now, or never.
