Environment : Rising Sea Level Submerging Island Nations

An article about some island nations was given minor importance and placement in a newspaper, but its subject matter was far from being minor or insignificant. The article was specifically about island nations submerging in to the sea because of the rising sea level. In the near future these island nations would cease to be nations and countries, because they would become landless and without any territories to call their own. Their island nations swallowed by the sea.

The article mentioned above is not fiction, it is a true story. In fact, some of these islands have started sinking into the sea.

Some countries are fighting over territories, others are talking about their economic development and exports, others are concerned with attracting tourists to visit their countries. Trivial concerns compared to the concern of these island nations worrying about how long would their countries exist as visible landmasses on the surface of the earth.

People from these islands nations are pleading for help because soon they would be drowning and would be totally annihilated as a people or nation. Some of these island nations have already made arrangements with other countries to repatriate their nationals to these host countries. For the past years, New Zealand has been accepting "climate refugees" from the island nation of Tuvalo in the Pacific, which is just about three feet above sea level and is expected to soon disappear under the sea.

Climate change or global warming are taken for granted by many people. Some people think these matters are not of immediate concern, just products of over imaginative minds, or just mere theories of paranoid scientists. But the fact is, we have been experiencing the effects of climate change and global warming for the past decades. And the effects have been getting worst through the years. Climate change and global warming are real phenomena that we can not ignore, and have to deal with them with urgency.

We Filipinos should be very much concerned with climate change and global warming. We have been experiencing its effects for the past several years with much destruction and loss of lives. Super typhoons, erratic weathers, extended periods of heavy of rains, drought and rising sea level are just some of the effects of these phenomena in our country. Our country, being a part of this so-called island nations, have the possibility of losing its smaller islands and low-lying coastlines. In fact, this is already happening in some parts of the country. A portion of a coastal barangay in the town of Aringay in La Union province had already submerged into the sea, partly because of soil erosion and the rising sea level.

Fortunately, we have bigger islands in our country to go to if our smaller islands go underwater, unlike these submerging island nations who have no other option but to flee to other countries.

It's time for  the nations of the world to get their acts together to fight, stop or minimize the effect of  climate change and global warming. Hopefully now, while we are still above the water.

Island nation of Nauru

With the rising sea level the picture above would soon be a common scenario
specially on so-called island nations or republics.

Related News Links :
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/49323/time-running-out-for-island-nation-of-kiribati-as-seas-rise-mass-relocation-eyed
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/04/world/asia/nauru-ocean-danger/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

Alaskan village to disappear under water in a decade :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23346370

Environment : An Afterthought After Supertyphoon Pablo

Everything was normal in Luzon, particularly in Metro Manila when "Supertyphoon Pablo" was ravaging Davao and other parts of Mindanao and Visayas. Most people were thinking :  this will not be another "Sendong", just another strong typhoon, and people down South are more prepared now and know what to do. But when everything has settled or seems to have settled days after the typhoon left, then comes these pictures below. We were all wrong. When Mother Nature unleashes its fury and revenge, nothing can stop it.

It's time to pause and think about what happened.

It's time to ask the question: Why?

Maybe it is because of climate change? global warming? deforestation? illegal logging? the victims not heeding the typhoon warnings? And maybe, yes, it's because of people wanting the RH Bill? So many questions but no answers.

Maybe it's time to realize that we are not in control.

Let's leave it at that for the moment.

Let's help the victims of Pablo.

The almost flattened down town of Boston in Davao Oriental

New Bataan Compostela Valley rescue search for flash flood victims

Compostela Valley Supertyphoon Pablo Victims

Picture Source :
Inquirer.net
globalpost.com
rappler.com

Environment : Adapting to the Changing Climate

The recent "Habagat" that wreaked havoc to a large part of Luzon, particularly Metro Manila and Central Luzon was not a typhoon. It was just the  normal seasonal wind coming from the southwest called southwest monsoon induced by low pressure areas. 

The SW monsoon wind carries heat and water vapor which cause rain along its path. In normal times, these "habagat" rains are beneficial specially to our farmers. But the recent "Habagat" we recently experienced was an extended one, which brought continuous and heavy rainfall causing severe and extensive flooding. 

These abnormal weathers that we have been experiencing these past years is brought about by what scientists call the"climate change". Whether we accept it or not, "climate change" is already a reality that we have to lived with in the coming years or maybe centuries. Climatologists say that the big factor  causing climate change is the increasing  carbon footprint of our planet, which means that there is an increase in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases resulting to global warming (temperature increase of the earth ). 

A carbon footprint is defined as:

The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).

Definition Source : http://timeforchange.org/what-is-a-carbon-footprint-definition

The increase in earth's temperature  is melting polar ice, increasing ocean and sea levels, and also changing their temperatures. The resulting change in temperature of the oceans and air is what is  causing these erratic weather disturbances we are experiencing. 

Agriculturist are saying too, that the increase in global temperature is also reducing harvests, and changing the seasons of crops and fruits. Eventually, this would severely affect our food supply. 

For laymen like most of us, all these changes and effects of "climate change" and global warming at that, are quite complicated for us to understand completely. But it is necessary for us to understand at least, the basic reason of   global warming and its immediate effects that are already affecting us. 

We just hope that the changes in our climate is not yet permanent and irreversible. And let us do our share in helping reduce the carbon footprint of our planet. In the mean time, we have to learn adapt  our lives to the changing weather and to be prepared to its effects and what it would bring to us.

Southwest Monsoon

Sources :

http://timeforchange.org/what-is-a-carbon-footprint-definition

Tips : Ways of Cooling your Home

I was at the bank this afternoon and while waiting for the teller to call me, I was reading the bank's newsletter ( One Planters Bank-The Planters Bank Family Chronicle, Issue No.7). Just want to share an article in the paper which I think will benefit homeowners.

Article :

Cool Home Tips (to) help Combat Climate Change


Instead of relying entirely on mechanical cooling, simple solutions like shading and lighter paints can keep your home at a comfortable temperature, reverse the "island heat" effect and lower your energy costs up to 50 percent.

• Train vine up trellises on the hottest side of the house. Keep the trellis at least 6 inches from the wall to provide buffer of cool air.
• Plant trees on the southern and western sides of your property to provide shade. Shading can lower indoor temperatures as much as 7 degree Celcius and reduce the need for mechanical cooling.
• Fit awnings or movable roof  to block out hot tropical sun. Light colored draperies and shades  can also help heat gain.
• Encourage a natural breeze. Open windows in the evening to circulate cool air in and warm air out.
• Paint your roof and walls a light color to reflect heat. Dark surfaces can be 21 degree Celcius hotter than white or silver ones. Heat stored in the walls and roofs continues to radiate even after sunset.
• Be air conditioner smart. Keep tightly windows and doors closed. Use A/C  to take the edge off heat rather than creating a polar micro-climate.  Around 28 degree Celcius is fine. Turn A/C off an hour before you go out--the air will still be cool by the time you are ready to leave.