Rising temperatures? Educate the public to take climate action

GLOBAL climate change is now described in vivid and personal terms. Wildfire smoke wherein no one could barely see in the forested areas of the US and Canada, the vegetated areas of South Africa and bushfires in Australia which had become ordinary descriptive reports. And so are unprecedented typhoons that leave Metro Manila cities severely flooded with plastic debris that bring forth signs of the leptospirosis health menace.

Even worse are climate change-intensified torrential rains and strong winds that cause widespread loss and even death to people in the cities and towns south of Metro Manila. Damaged bridges, submerged cars, areas left without power and in need of significant infrastructure repairs everywhere.

Frightening was the overnight-long Typhoon Julian which pummeled the islands of Batanes (north of the Philippines, very close to Taiwan) and left a wide trail of environmental destruction.

That is not all. For three days, Signal No. 4 Typhoon Kristine hit, among others, the northern provinces (Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija); Southern Tagalog's Aurora, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon and Batangas; the Bicol Region's Legaspi, Naga, Iriga and Ba-ao, of the big Luzon island, extending as well to the provinces of Mindoro, Samar island and Aklan in the Visayas, and the islands of Mindanao as storm surges hit the coastal areas. Interisland travel by boat was suspended resulting in stranded passengers in the Manila and Batangas ports.

Flooded town centers and destroyed agricultural fields and fishponds; rooftops of concrete private houses visible from the air standing for days or weeks on stagnant floodwaters; unprecedented surging waters everywhere, including highways, main streets and feeder roads with no inkling of when they will subside; horrific abandoned water-logged areas now muddied with all kinds of filth and assorted debris, exposing people to further health problems and abnormal daily existence; and landslides in mountainous communities which were sites of quarrying activities.

Visible everywhere was the Filipino spirit of bayanihan. But present, too, was the realization that the Philippines consists of islands and the thought about further possibilities for islands in this changed world linger.

The World Weather Attribution, composed of scientists that run rapid climate attribution studies, said the floods highlight the devastating consequences of fossil fuel-driven warnings in a warming world. The likelihood of ferocious four-day storms could grow by 50 percent compared to current levels.

Mention should also be made of Tuvalu in the Pacific Ocean, the smallest country and most vulnerable to sea level rise, could be the first to disappear in the world map due to the challenges of climate change.

All this brings back to mind the valuable thoughts shared some decades ago by former US vice president Al Gore, original climate activist and Nobel Prize laureate, when he said, "Climate change requires mobilization like the mobilization of nations to prepare for World War II ... Technology will not reverse the damage done; a change of consciousness will do it ... The global warming crisis requires a mosaic of solutions, one that is low in carbon and high in productivity with sustainable development as [an] atlas for planet management."

To be more specific, it calls for an integrated, cross-sectoral approach, innovative financing, whole-of-government and whole-of-society involvement, and accurate and reliable risk information as part of efforts to enhance climate resilience and disaster preparedness. In this regard, countries will have to turn promises to halt nature's destruction into action.

Thus, with rising concern about rising temperatures vis-à-vis biodiversity conservation in mind, hereunder are some thoughts to bring the issue down to earth and spur the public to climate action.

Biodiversity offers a lot of products and services, but it is seriously threatened by human activity: destruction of habitat, multiple forms of pollution, overhunting, overfishing, overexploitation of land and forest, overproduction of greenhouse gases, introduction of exotic species and many more.

For biodiversity-related public action, among the easy-to-do activities are: 1) Create a natural refuge for biodiversity among which are refuse to use chemical pesticides and fertilizers; help spontaneous vegetation in a corner of the garden where plant species may reproduce and diversify, and create a shelter for many animals; 2) Do not contribute to "garbage islands" in the oceans and seas. For this purpose, limit use of plastic bags. Never throw anything away from nature (even far from the sea). Discuss these garbage islands with people as they are unaware that they even exist; 3) Organize neighborhood cleanups which will limit pollution of ecosystems such as watercourses and wasteland. It will also help animals avoid many dangers such as harming themselves when they walk on broken glass or choking on pieces of plastic mistaken for food.

Furthermore, do not throw rubbish on the ground. Some wastes have immediate impacts, e.g., cigarette butts and chewing gum intoxicate or choke animals that ingest them. Other rubbish has more long-term impacts, e.g., used batteries contain heavy metals that leach into the soil and contaminate groundwater. Use public receptacles for segregated waste and recycle as much as possible.

Indeed, everyone can make further contributions to biodiversity conservation by adopting simple actions, e.g., eating local seasonal produce, saving water, composting food waste and in the process, learning to recognize the plant and animal species that surround us.

In conclusion, in many countries around the world are educators who are not scientists the way we associate the word in its old limited concept but includes environmentalists who have spent decades from the 1970s observing the effects of climate change and offering insights into how we can frame the way to take action. They are environmental economists and health experts; conservation officers who help protect biodiversity and deliver food for humanity; environmental impact of projects specialists; wetland experts offering nature-based solutions as part of climate loss and damage or adaptation mechanisms to cope with climate changes; plants and animal extinction scientists; researchers communicating climate science through the lens of air pollution and how it affects people; and law school lecturers who cover the social justice aspects of climate change, including the lot of displaced populations due to rising seas in addition to droughts and other negative environmental occurrences that give rise to climate refugees/migrants or climate-impacted people in general.