Wanted: ‘Climate warriors’

As the United Nations (UN) winds down the observance of the International Women’s Month, activities to mark April as the Earth Month kicked off last Saturday. With the ceremonial switching off simultaneously of all electric lights, the resulting darkness simulated efforts to help cool down Planet Earth from the effects of the global warming.

The UN has been supporting the “Earth Hour” campaign initiated by the World Wide Fund for Nature starting in 2007. Since then, the “Earth Hour” is observed every last Saturday of March each year to encourage individuals, communities, and businesses to turn off non-essential electric lights for 60 minutes only, or one hour.

Like the rest of other countries that participated in this annual event, electric lights all over the Philippines were turned off from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. last March 25. On the Earth Hour website, the WWF for Nature declares: “Earth Hour aims to increase awareness and (to) spark global conversations on protecting nature, tackling the climate crisis, and working together to shape a brighter future for us all.” Through this, the WWF credits the “Earth Hour” campaign as having led to other global actions related to curbing climate change.

In a video statement released last Saturday, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) exhorted every Filipino throughout the country to participate and support the Earth Hour. “It only takes 60 minutes to do good for our future. 60 minutes to take notice and commit to saving Mother Nature to be united and take action,” the President cited. “Because together, nothing is impossible. Let’s switch off and give mother nature 60 minutes to breathe,” the Chief Executive made this impassioned appeal.

At the Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum last Wedneday, Senate president pro tempore Loren Legarda welcomed the “Earth Hour” report of the Department of Energy (DOE) that it generated as much as 62.69 megawatts (MW) of electricity/power saved. “The Earth Hour symbolizes and simply reminds us to commune with Mother Earth,” enthused Sen.Legarda, a UN champion for Climate Change initiatives.

Since 2008, the Philippines has been a participant to this global campaign to save the Planet Earth. The electricity savings in this year’s “Earth Hour” in the Philippines, however, were lower than the 65.32 MW recorded last year by the DOE.

“Those savings (in electricity use) are equivalent to like building a new power plant. (But) It is just a drop in the bucket,” Sen.Legarda mused.

A staunch supporter of environment-friendly supply of electricity from Renewable Energy (RE) sources like solar and wind-powered electric plants, Sen. Legarda underscored much more could be done to reduce the carbon footprints  and greenhouse emissions as among the causes of the global warming.

Like her mother who walks the talk, the Senator’s eldest son, Leandro Leviste is actively engaged in RE and founded Solar Philippines in 2013. It is now Southeast Asia’s largest solar company and integrated solar developer, and power generator that boasts of selling cheap, reliable and universally accessible electricity. The Senator declined to talk or comment about her son’s private business pursuits but she oozes the mother’s pride to a son’s achievements.

Sen. Legarda authored the landmark law on Climate Change under Republic Act (RA) 9729. It became a law in 2007 when many people could not care more on the subject of climate change. On her fourth term at the Senate (with breaks in between terms) and now a veteran lawmaker, she last guested at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay in July, 2021 when she was Deputy Speaker at the House of Representatives from the lone congressional district of her home province Antique.

She showed off to media the simple ways any one of us can put into practice a lot of household and even activities at the work places that can help reduce land, water and air pollution, all of which contribute to global warming and climate change. For one, she cited, refrain from using non-biodegradable plastics. If not avoidable, she pointed to do a waste segregation to separate garbage bins for recycable plastics and food leftovers that can be turned into non-chemical fertilizers for plants.

“In  a sense, these things are really commonsense only,” Sen.Legarda quipped.

An international advocate also for disaster risk reduction and resiliency measures, Sen.Legarda principally authored and sponsored a number of other Congress-approved laws in the protection of the country’s environment, mandated nature conservation measures and the preservation of the Philippine culture and heritage, among her legislative output as a prolific lawmaker.

She called out for the stricter, if not the widest implementation of the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2000 (RA 9275); the Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (RA 9003); among these laws. She conceded there are more than enough laws already in place but have been little and hardly implemented laws. She cited as an example RA 6716 that took effect since 1989 mandating various agencies of the national government as well as the local government units (LGUs) to develop rainwater collectors and harvesting facilities.

Sen.Legarda pratically begged: “Let’s make all our laws work.”

The UN General Assembly on Wednesday adopted by consensus a Resolution calling the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to lay out the State obligations of countries in protecting Earth’s climate and the legal consequences they face if they don’t. As the world body’s top court, the Resolution – cosponsored by more than 130 Member States, including the Philippines – ”would assist the General Assembly, the UN and Member States to take the bolder and stronger climate action that our world so desperately needs.”

Sen.Legarda could not agree more. She vows to include in the proposed law to revive the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) that will develop “climate warriors” among the Filipino youth. After all, she is a Reserve Officer in the Philippine Air Force as Colonel.