Surviving this cruel world

The world has turned around many times before, and over the centuries, changes in the climate have evolved. Today, we really have a major problem with global warming. Indeed, the environment has become more cruel, with temperatures getting higher and hotter, and extreme weather changes causing disaster after disaster to happen almost everywhere, making life so much more difficult for people the world over. A year after Hurricane Katrina hit the United States, New Orleans has yet to recover from the devastating damage. Piles of debris still clutter the streets, houses look more like graveyards than homes, with broken traffic lights and shattered cars all adding to the desolation. To this day, survivors still have to overcome the trauma, with many admitting that they go into a panic whenever they hear a raindrop falling. Worse, there are even reports of insurance companies cheating on claims, using technicalities to reduce or deny payment of damages to the victims of Katrina.

The summer heat wave in the US continues to take its toll on the population, with more than 200 dead. Reports are also coming in about the upsurge of the West Nile virus in many states, causing the death of five so far. West Nile virus is spread by mosquitoes and causes encephalitis and meningitis, and while it’s usually found in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, it has recently found its way to the United States. Even China is concerned with the effects of global warming. This year alone, thousands have died due to heat, storms, floods and drought, and experts from the Beijing Climate Center have admitted that these extreme weather patterns are only beginning and in fact, could get worse.

Some may argue that a lot of these disasters and tragedies are caused by nature, but it’s clear that quite a number of them are man made. Our neglect of the environment is causing nature to respond in a cruel and devastating manner. The continued destruction of the ozone layer is melting ice glaciers and raising sea levels. Experts say that climatic changes are increasing the risk of droughts, floods, storms and hurricanes, as well as health problems. A major concern is air pollution coming from emissions with greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane raising ozone levels – greatly increasing the risks of asthma, pulmonary problems and allergic attacks especially from smog-filled cities. Water pollution is also on the rise, with potable water sources getting contaminated every time flooding occurs. Add to this the fact that a number of industrial companies continue to dump their untreated waste into the water, resulting in disease outbreaks. As a matter of fact, global warming is pinpointed as the reason for the increasing mosquito population especially in tropical areas, causing the upsurge of dengue, malaria and other mosquito-borne infectious diseases.

You can’t blame environmentalists for pointing the finger at US President George W. Bush who refused to sign the Kyoto protocol, saying this has undermined efforts to fight global warming. The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement for countries to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases by 5.2 percent. Some 164 countries have ratified the agreement first negotiated in 1997, but to this day, Australia and the US still refuse to sign, calling the terms unrealistic and citing economic reasons for their refusal. It’s clear, however, that more has to be done to save this planet. Otherwise, countries will continue to be plagued by tragedies and disasters brought about by a world gone cruel because of man’s insensitivity and neglect.

In the Philippines, we are plagued by three "P’s" – population, poverty and pollution – a deadly combination that could ultimately kill all of us if we don’t do something about it. The uncontrolled growth of our population especially in squatter colonies will result in even more poverty because of the growing number of hungry mouths to feed. With more and more people living in shanties and throwing their garbage everywhere, expect pollution levels to get even worse and health problems to go even higher. In fact, I have never seen so many people getting sick or dying at an early age over the past five years. Former GMA political adviser Joey Rufino died recently at the age of 52 due to complications brought about by liver cancer. The wife of one of our executives is suffering from leukemia and continues to undergo treatment. Our friend Syke Garcia, a member of the MOPC Board, is now in a coma in a major hospital because of a cerebral stroke. The same thing happened to a second cousin of mine and to this day, he remains in a coma. He just turned 60 recently. The security officer of our firm had a mild stroke, while another is suffering from respiratory problems. And yet another, our chief accountant, developed breast cancer recently. I believe all these are, in one way or another, connected to pollution. About 70 percent of air pollution in the Philippines is caused by emissions from vehicles, while the rest come from fuel-burning factories. A World Bank study says losses due to air pollution amount to as much as P20 billion in terms of untimely deaths, health costs and lost productivity.

But the worst kind of "P" that this country is plagued with and is a contributing factor to the "pollution of the mind," are the ambitious "Politicians" – who continue to make people suffer with their endless grandstanding and bickering. Instead of being part of the solution, they contribute to the problem. Thankfully, Filipinos have continued to survive through all these years despite them. As one wag noted, life is difficult enough as it is, and we have more than enough problems without these people adding to our troubles. The oil spill in Guimaras should serve as an eye opener for everyone to realize what pollution can do to our resources. Despite assurances that the cleanup will be done in half a year, experience tells us otherwise, and we can never tell just how far-reaching the effects are to our ecosystem. I have written about the need to protect the environment and the dangers of pollution countless times. In fact, one of the photos I took with my digital camera sometime last year showing a black smog-filled Makati one early morning in April with zero wind, was used in the front page of the other major daily – and I thank them for that, underscoring the seriousness of the air pollution problem. It’s getting harder these days to breathe free, clean air, and it’s certainly welcome to hear of initiatives like the "Green Philippine Highways" project of the DENR. According to Angie Reyes, a single tree can absorb 0.56 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions during its lifetime, and so he has set about a goal to cover the country’s major highways with trees. While 50 million trees would be needed to complete this ambitious but potentially lifesaving project, the initial 500,000 planted last week is a good start. After all, it’s been said that from small things can come great results. It will certainly breathe new life for all of us if the government seriously pursues solutions to the problem of pollution. And this "P" – Planting trees – is definitely a good start in helping us survive this cruel world.

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