Climate Change

Climate change affects more than just a change in the weather, it refers to seasonal changes over a long period of time. It is the major, overriding environmental issue of our time, and the single greatest challenge facing environmental regulators. It is a growing crisis with economic, health and safety, food production, security, and other dimensions.

Video: Social Impacts of Climate Change

Here are the common causes of climate change in the Philippines:

1. Pollution

The pollution emanating from different industrial zones all over the country, vehicles, CFCs from our air-conditioned units and refrigerators, and burnt plastic damages the Ozone Layer that protects our planet from the heat of the sun and us humans, also adds significantly to the Global Warming we are experiencing now.

2. Deforestation

Deforestation due to "kaingin" or slash-and-burn farming, growing populace, and illegal logging is stripping our forests of the trees that protect us from floods and serves as a habitat to different animals, causing mudslide, soil erosion and landslide.

One example of climate change due to deforestation is the tragedy that Typhoon Sendong brought into the Cagayan de Oro province and places near them last December 2011. Few numbers of trees and plants can absorb the amount of rainfall that causes the water to flow in the communities below the mountain areas. After the incident it is evident that illegal logging was being practiced in that region because of the woods that they’ve found.

Typhoon Sendong aftermath

We need to change the way we produce and consume energy, significantly reducing our dependence on climate-damaging fossil fuels. This means saving energy and improving the efficiency of the way we consume energy, while significantly expanding in the share of green, renewable energy as well as tackling emissions from the transport sector. We also need to stop abusing the forests and stop using products that can contribute to the pollution we're experiencing today.

References:

http://www.unep.org

http://generalhowitzer.hubpages.com/hub/The-Causes-and-Effects-of-Climate-Change-in-our-Planet

http://www.stopclimatechange.net/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aehff7PLG3k