A Forum on Biodiversity and Climate Change organized by the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau was held on May 23 at the National Institute of Geological Sciences in UP Diliman, which Precious, KT and I attended. Speakers from different fields were at the forum to talk about various issues like the vulnerability of agriculture to climate change, landscape management, and the conservation of biodiversity.
People from academic institutions, the media, and organizations like WWF-Philippines were also at the forum. The presence of people coming from various sectors emphasized just how big of an issue climate change is, and the fact that it knows no borders, locally and globally.
A lot of people were concerned about the action plan of the government, although no concrete answers were given with respect to this. In summary, in responding to climate change, the following points were mentioned: 1) change in lifestyle, 2) programs by local government units, 3) implementation of national policies by national government agencies, and 4) development of a national action plan.
Well, we've heard it all before. I mean, anyone from SolarGeneration could've told them that, hehe. But I think the relevance of the forum is that we got to see just how concerned different people are about the issue, and their willingness to establish common ground -- they'll be having further discussions on climate change issues of concern everyone shares within the Philippine setting, and subsequently formulating recommendations and concrete steps to take.
Of course, we don't have to be satisfied with just sitting back while everyone else makes plans. That's why we're SolarGeneration, right? :)
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