Environmentalists call for use of alternative energy to lessen carbon emission
(Antonion Levy Ingles Jr., giving a lecture during a seminar held at Colegio de San Juan de Letran. Photo by Mildred Mira, Dapitan Post)
Environmentalists called for all sectors of society to reduce global carbon emission by using alternative energy sources.
Antonio Levy Ingles, Jr., founder of Aral Pinoy Org Inc., said cutting low on carbon, a major contributor to global warming, is possible if there are combined efforts from the government and the people.
“I feel that there are more talks but less of actions. Pero [‘yung] action kasi, ‘di puwedeng manggagaling lang sa government. It must come from all sectors, it’s a collaborative effort,” he said in an interview with the Dapitan Post.
According to him, the greenhouse gases and carbon emissions come from various sources--from household consumption and agriculture, to electricity generation, transformation and distribution.
Ingles presented The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines 2014 report which says that low carbon development can be achieved through replacement, phase out and decentralization stages.
“‘Diba, replace, then phase out.Then decentralization… ibig sabihin lang naman nito... you have to make it localized, instead of getting all the energy from one [source]… Kapag sinabing mixed, halo-halo, may solar, may wind, [at] may natural gas. In other words, we have [a] variety that we can allow ourselves to get energy from different sources,” he explained.
He also emphasized the significance of government’s strong implementation of solutions available.
“Kasi andyan na yung solutions. Ito na ‘yung gagawin in the next 15 years, at kapag na implement ito... then we will harvest the benefits,” he said.
Ingles, however, regarded the Paris Agreement as a breakthrough where almost 190 countries signed in promise to cut back on the use of carbon energy and convert to the use of renewable energy as an alternative.
Alarming state of carbon emission
Former Senator Heherson Alvarez stated that the Philippines will be relying on coal energy as a major energy source over the next decades, as showed on the July 2015 state hearings of the Department of Energy (DOE).
(Former Senator Heherson Alvarez discusses the situation of carbon emission in the Philippines during a seminar held at Colegio de San Juan de Letran. Photo by Mildred Mira, Dapitan Post)
He said DOE has approved the construction of 29 coal power plants, 12 of which have a total capacity of 34,000 megawatt (MW), in addition to the 17 existing coal plants in the country, with a capacity of 18,500 MW.
“It is estimated that these plants would require at least 10 million tons of coal a year... without any significant intervention in the Philippines, [we] can expect an extremely high dependence of 70 percent in coal from 2030 to 2050, according to [former] DOE undersecretary Loreta Ayson during the senate hearing last year,” he added.
Alvarez also commented on the country’s dependency on foreign coals, with a whooping 15.2 million tons of imported coal recorded last year.
“By relying on imported coals, the Philippines firmly placed itself in an energy problem, or energy security is in the hands of foreign countries exporting coal,” he said.
He viewed it as a cheap solution to the country’s precarious power supply since the effects on the environment and human health are not considered.
“If the subsidies and impacts are factored in, coal would be a far more expensive fuel than renewable energy like the sun and the wind,” he said.
He cited a report from Greenpeace Southeast Asia last February which exposes the health impact of existing coal plants, with an estimated number of 960 premature deaths each year caused by stroke, cardiovascular, respiratory and heart diseases.
“If the [upcoming] coal-fired power plants become operational, the study projects premature deaths will rise to 2,410 yearly, more than double the current number of people dying from coal-related pollution in the country,” he said.
Step-up, millennials urged
Roy Joseph Roberto, the Director of Corporate Affairs of the International Secretariat of Asian Youth Leaders Association, encouraged the millennials to increase their participation in addressing the environmental issues in the Philippines.
(Roy Joseph Roberto encouraged the millennials to help in preserving the environment during a seminar at Colegio de San Juan de Letran. Photo by Mildred Mira, Dapitan Post)
“[T]his really is an urgent matter. Ang nakataya dito is the survival of our species so, more young people should take interest not only in... responsible consumption but in social movements that would actually create significant impact to solve challenges,” he said in an interview with the Dapitan Post.
Roberto explained that millennials should also be a medium in spreading awareness for the interest of the public to develop.
“It’s our role as climate communicators to be able to deliver the message and threats that climate change is posing to our species in a more chewable language that could be understood by ordinary people,” he said
Ingles emphasized that the youth should be informed and educated first for them to be an effective medium to the public.
“You millennials, the best thing that you will do [is] to know-- educate yourself. Kung alam mo ang ginagawa mo, alam mo ipaglalaban mo...Eto lang, what you value, you protect. What you protect, you fight...[W]ala kayong ipaglalaban kung di nyo naiintindihan” he said
The seminar #NowPH: An Assessment on the Environmental Practices of the Philippines was organized by the Letran Legal Management Society in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Education (UNESCO) and the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative. It was held on September 13, 2017, Wednesday, at the SC Auditorium in Colegio de San Juan de Letran. BEA LAFORGA AND MILDRED MIRA
