Climate change and human extinction

All peoples of the world must be involved in two types of response to the threat of climate change: mitigation and adaptation.

"Prevention" is no longer possible, according to Roger Bracke of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the other experts at the Climate Change forum, since climate change is already happening.

The forum's speakers all noted the increasing number and intensity of devastating typhoons--most recently cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, which killed more than 100,000 people--as evidence that the world's climatic and weather conditions are turning deadly because of climate change. They also reminded the audience that deadly typhoons have also hit the Philippines recently, particularly Milenyo and Reming, which left hundreds of thousands of Filipino families homeless.

World Wildlife Fund Climate and Energy Program head Naderev Saño said that "this generation the last chance for the human race" to do something and ensure that humanity stays alive in this planet. According to Saño, while most members of our generation will be dead by the time the worst effects of climate change are felt, our children will be the ones to suffer.

Joyceline Goco, Climate Change Coordinator of the Environment Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, focused her lecture on the programs Philippine government is implementing in order to mitigate the effects of climate change. Goco said that the Philippines is already a signatory to global agreements calling for a reduction in the "greenhouse gasses"--mostly carbon dioxide, chloroflourocarbons and methane--that are responsible for trapping heat inside the planet and raising global temperatures.

Goco said the DENR, which is tasked to oversee and activate the Clean Development Mechanism, has registered projects which would reduce methane and carbon dioxide. These projects include landfill and electricity generation initiatives. She also said that the government is also looking at alternative fuel sources in order do reduce the country's dependence on the burning of fossil fuels--oil--which are known culprits behind global warming.

Bracke however said that mitigation is not enough. "The ongoing debate about mitigation of climate change effects is highly technical. It involves making fundamental changes in the policies of governments, making costly changes in how industry operates. All of this takes time and, frankly, we're not even sure if such mitigation efforts will be successful. In the meantime, while the debate goes on, the effects of climate change are already happening to us."

A few nations and communities have already begun adapting their lifestyles to cope with the effects of climate change. In Bangladesh, farmers have switched to raising ducks instead of chickens because the latter easily succumb to weather disturbances and immediate effects, such as floods. In Norway, houses with elevated foundations have been constructed to decrease displacement due to typhoons.

In the Philippines main body for fighting climate change, the Presidential Task Force on Climate Change, (PTFCC) headed by Department on Energy Sec. Angelo Reyes, has identified emission reduction measures and has looked into what fuel mix could be both environment and economic friendly.

The Department of Health has started work with the World Health Organization in strengthening its surveillance mechanisms for health services. However, bringing information hatched from PTFCC’s studies down to and crafting an action plan for adaptation with the communities in the barangay level remains a challenge.

From Newsbreak

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The green age

A house with two cars, a dog and a lawn uses more energy than a village of 2000 Africans.

According to Australian Permaculture founder Bill Mollison, the Permaculture concept - which has spread to 160 countries – embraces a threefold ethic: care of the earth, care of people and dispersal of surplus time, money and materials towards these goals. The permaculture system also has a basic tenet that recognises the worth of every living thing, even if it doesn’t have a commercial value.

Permaculture teacher Vicky Gear says: “Whether you live in a unit or on 50 hectares, you can still practice permaculture. It’s for everybody. Applying the ethics of permaculture makes you aware of how to live more sustainably and consume less; it teaches you how to be a conserver rather than a consumer; how to cooperate and not compete; and how to coexist.”

Permaculture is about getting involved in the environment and in your community. It’s about a happier, healthier life. “Permaculture is more than just organic gardening – it encompasses all areas of your life,” Gear says.

Caring for the earth means looking after soils, forests, animals and waters. Look at how sustainable your entire lifestyle is. Do the quiz at www.earthlab.com and find out how much waste you create and how to reduce it. Some easy things you can do are composting kitchen scraps, not using chemicals in your garden or house and thinking about whether you really need something before buying it.

Get active about conservation. Plant a tree or support an environmental organisation. Join a group that supports animal rights or reforestation, or donate to organisations such as Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth or the World Wildlife Fund. 

We all need food, shelter, education, satisfying employment and good company. But few of us realise that a lot of this is within our own power and doesn’t have to be supplied by big organisations. Even if you live in an apartment or rent, you can still grow your own veggies.

If you don’t want to grow your own food, buy from a local retailer or grower who produces food in an ecologically sustainable way or join a community garden. If there isn’t one near you, why not start one?

While most of us have shelter, we all need to look at how we can make it more energy efficient. It could simply be hanging heavy curtains to reduce heat so that you rely less on air-conditioning.  Or you might install a solar hot water panel or a rainwater tank. You can also donate to the homeless through a local organisation.

The concept of permaculture involves thinking about the long-term impact of what you do for a living. Think about your working day, too: why not cycle or walk to work, recycle paper, resist printing emails and encourage your office manager to provide fresh snacks like fruit for staff rather than packaged junk food.

Finally, turn off the TV and join a book or running club. Take a community college course and make new friends. Dr Martha McClintock, director of the Institute for Mind and Biology and a fellow of the Brain Research Institute in the US, has recently found that, when housed in groups, rats live 40 per cent longer than those housed alone. She is now trying to determine how social interactions bring about hormonal and genetic changes that increase the quality and length of life.

Share seeds or ideas with neighbours, help your local school put in a veggie garden. The possibilities are endless. Just remember that every little bit counts.

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Working towards a greener postal sector

Under the agreement signed in Berne last month by Achim Steiner, Executive Director of UNEP, and Edouard Dayan, Director General of the UPU, UNEP will help the UPU calculate the volumes of greenhouse gases generated by the postal sector, using a clearly-defined methodology.

The UPU's International Bureau is shortly to launch a survey of the organization's 191 member countries, to collect data on the sector as a whole, including buildings and vehicles, the mileage these vehicles cover, and the volumes of fuel consumed. Once this information has been gathered, UNEP will help the UPU develop a method to quantify the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the postal sector. The UPU and UNEP will then offer postal operators a range of solutions to cut these emissions, and will monitor the impact of these measures from year to year.

The initiative is in line with the United Nations' commitment to make climate change one of its top priorities, and the heads of UN agencies, programmes and funds agreed at the October 2007 meeting of the Chief Executives Board of the United Nations System to work towards climate neutrality. As part of this partnership with UNEP, the UPU is looking to move towards becoming a climate-neutral organization.

"Any initiative that puts environmental protection at the heart of postal businesses' development strategy will have my support, and the scale of our contribution should reflect that of the sector," declared Edouard Dayan.

According to Achim Steiner: "By joining our forces we are bringing the issue of sustainability to one of the major global networks, the postal service, which has a massive responsibility to connect the world but which also has a significant footprint".

The UPU is a member of the UN's Environment Management Group, and has formed a global network of correspondents within the postal operators of its member countries to help raise awareness, within the worldwide postal sector, of the importance of adopting green policies and sharing best practices. Sustainable development of the postal sector also lies at the heart of the organization's world postal strategy adopted by its 2004 Bucharest Congress, and will remain an objective in the next postal strategy, to be presented at the 24th UPU Congress in Geneva from 23 July to 12 August 2008.

The issue of the environment will be discussed extensively at the Congress, and Mr. Steiner will take part in the General Debate on 25 July 2008, which will be attended by heads of international organizations, representatives of the governments and operators of the UPU member countries, and other decision-makers from across the sector.

Many Posts today recognize the impact their activities have on the environment, and have adopted environmental policies accordingly; some have acquired non-polluting vehicles and use eco-friendly materials, actively participate in recycling programmes, or have adopted green purchasing policies.

But much more still needs to be done. According to even the most modest estimates, the world postal sector comprises over five million staff (twice that number if we consider the wider sector) and 660,000 postal establishments, and uses some 250,000 motorcycles, over 600,000 cars, vans and trucks, and hundreds of aircraft to deliver mail to the four corners of the world... Not to mention the tonnes of paper used daily in postal communications. The sector therefore has a significant role to play in cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

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