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By: Diana E. Jutba, GPC-ENRO | Photos By: GPC-ENRO | Date: November 20, 2021
The Provincial Government of La Union, through the Environment and Natural Resources Office (PG-ENRO), conducts a Virtual Environmental Summit for the celebration of National Environmental Awareness Month, National Clean Air Month, and Climate Change Consciousness Week with the theme "NURTURE NATURE FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE on November 20, 2021, via videoconferencing and Facebook Live. The summit was attended by students and teachers from major colleges and Universities in the Province.
Gov. Pacoy graced the said activity. He welcomed the students and environmental advocates who attended the virtual summit. He also congratulated the PG-ENRO for all the environmental initiatives supporting the #KalikasanNaman campaign of the Provincial Government. He emphasized his message that this is the time to unite for mother earth; our conservation efforts need to be at the landscape level, encompassing our entire ecosystems rather than a fragmented approach. He also added that we should dedicate our hearts to restoring and preserving what we have gifted and lived a pristine natural legacy for our future generations.
Meanwhile, Mr. Aldjumar B. de Guzman, Environmental Management Specialist II from DENR-EMB 1, discussed the "Climate Change: Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic" and "Taking Care of the Ozone Layer." He emphasizes during his presentation that environmental protection is and will play an essential part in responding to COVID-19 and preventing future pandemics. He also added that there needs to be a cultural and behavioral shift in treating our environment. Furthermore, he presented the Montreal Protocol Overview. This landmark multilateral environmental agreement regulates the production and consumption of nearly 100 man-made chemicals called ozone-depleting substances (ODS) and the Kigali Amendments, an international agreement to reduce the consumption and production of hydrofluorocarbons gradually.
Ms. Thelma A. Cinco, the Weather Services Chief of the Northern Luzon PAGASA Regional Services Division, discussed "Impacts of Climate Change in the Philippines." She reiterated that the Philippines is highly vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters due to our country's geographic location. She also discussed the basic concepts of climate, the global manifestation of climate change, and global climate trends. She also presented the observed climate trends in the Philippines over the past 65 years of DOST-PAGASA. Data shows that the most recent cold years have been relatively warmer than decades ago. For the future climate projections in the Philippines, she discussed that the temperature would increase and create potential impacts such as increased energy demand, increased heat stress cases, a risk to food security, the threat to biodiversity/forestry, and risk to the water quality and availability.
For the closing remarks, EnP. Shereal M. Catbagan, Senior EMS of PG-ENRO, thanked all the resource speakers and participants. She closed the program by borrowing words from Richard Rogers: "The only way forward, if we are going to improve the quality of the environment, is to get everybody involved" and reminded everyone to be a more environmentally responsible citizen.
