By Ramon Rafael C. Bonilla / Special to the BusinessMirror
THE path may seem to be dim, but hopes are still bright as all roads are leading to Paris, France, for the UN Climate Change Conference 2015, with Manila leading the charge through a series of dialogues to address the need to step up and combat the ill effects of a warmer Earth.
Taking inspiration from the Manila Call to Action on Climate Change that was launched during the state visit of French President François Hollande on February 26, the appeal voices out to the international community the urgency of preventing the causes and fighting the harsh consequences to a more dangerous world habitat.
With the 21st session of the Conference of the Climate Change (COP21) from November 30 to December 11 in France shaping up the ambitious role of 195 countries to a universal and legally binding agreement to limit the Earth to below 2 degrees Celsius, the Philippines is in good faith in supporting the promising deal for a safer home.
COP21 aims to be a historic development in the global alliance against climate change, with all stakeholders pledging to lessen carbon emissions. These commitments, based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, are all enumerated in the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). These INDCs must outline carbon-mission reduction targets and the steps that must be taken to achieve all the goals, as well as how these actions are integrated to contribute to economic growth. “All of these must happen, and that is our mission today. We must talk, we must plan everything. Because someday, we will ask ourselves if we did enough for our future,” said Ivan Henares, president of Heritage Conservation Society. “We should act swiftly because I am personally fearful of the wrath of nature.”
He joined several climate experts, representatives from the national government, environmental groups and members of the media in the weeklong discussions on climate change. “[Besides] the devastating losses of lives and properties, climate change will also take its toll on our cultural treasures. The Philippines is a rich country with vast artefacts from our heritage. We all know that it will be a long process, but our country needs each one of us to take care of everything we have,” Henares added.
Specialists from different fields of climate control shared the contributions of developed and developing countries, such as the Philippines, in battling devastations caused by global warming.Ethical matters, the conservation of culture and heritage, and climate reportage for media practitioners are among topics in the conference, with focus on climate change, policy-making and tools for effective communication.
Opportunities that would enable political, economic and social development were also discussed. Industrialization and urbanization must compliment environmental sustainability, and private sectors, together with government interventions, should be in line to mitigate and adapt to the challenges brought by climate change.