DENR taps expertise of Pinoy NASA scientist in climate change drive

MANILA, Philippines – Environment Secretary Lito Atienza has sought the help of a Filipino scientist working for the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to boost government initiatives to mitigate the impact of global warming in the Philippines.

This as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) chief admitted that the government needs the proficiency of experts, especially Filipino specialists and professionals who have made a name for themselves abroad like NASA physicist Dr. Josefino Comiso, in order to advance efforts on climate change and other potentially catastrophic events in the country.

Atienza also said that apart from global warming, which is attributable to climate change, the Philippines also badly needs help in reforestation and the search for alternative energy.

“Climate change is a problem requiring urgent attention and action since it has an immediate impact on food production and the stability of our ecosystems, among other things,” Atienza said. “That is why we are very grateful for the offer of help from some of our prominent Filipino scientists abroad.”

Comiso, and other Filipino experts Dr. Catalino Blanche, national program leader of the US Department of Agriculture, and Dr. Terry Sarigumba, of the Georgia Pacific Co., earlier paid a courtesy call on Atienza.

During the meeting, Comiso agreed to spearhead a project that will monitor the effects of global warming in the country, and to share his knowledge of the phenomenon to the public through the DENR’s information, education, and communication (IEC) campaign.

Comiso, Blanche, and Sarigumba returned to the Philippines under the government’s Balik Scientists program, which seeks to make them spend a limited period of time in the country to aid local research efforts.

“The DENR, as its contribution to the campaign against global warming, has been undertaking massive tree planting and cleanup of the Manila Bay and other major water systems,” Atienza said.

“We are also in the midst of a nationwide IEC campaign to educate the public about the adverse consequences of climate change so that they may be able to do their share in lessening its impact here,” he added.

Comiso has warned that the Philippines is vulnerable to the accelerated melting of the polar ice caps brought about by global warming. He noted that even if the Philippines is not emitting a lot of carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming, the country is going to be “one of the biggest victims” of the effects of climate change.

Comiso likewise explained that the melting of the Arctic ice caps due to global warming will cause sea levels to rise and may flood cities and towns near the coast, including Metro Manila. He stressed that climate change threatens the country’s diverse animal populations, from land-based species to the marine population.

As a senior NASA scientist, Comiso was the first person to discover the recurrence of polynya in the Cosmonaut Sea south of the Indian Ocean. A polynya is a semi-permanent area of open water in sea ice.

The DENR also said that Comiso is one of the authors of the report of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, which created awareness on the environmental phenomenon and earned a Nobel Prize that the panel shared with Vice President Al Gore in 2007.

Comiso’s facility to monitor global warming is being funded by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services (Pagasa) and will be based in UP Los Baños, the DENR added.