climate change: the nature's revenge to our negligence?

Franco A. Regino
2006-71384

Last Sunday while I was attending the mass in my hometown, I felt that the sacristy is so hot. I wondered why. I attended the mass at night, not crowded people and most of all it is the ber month. It should not be normal especially my hometown Maragondon, Cavite is relatively a high place so it should be cold at night. When I experience cold tempearature it is very cold. Last summer when I was having my summer here in UP Diliman, the temperature is really hot. It is normal but the excessive heat and moisture and the frequent rain during summer is not normal. My experiences may be simple as it should be. But simple things lead to a complicated thing. As I have watched the news everyday, I saw the increasing number of natural calamities around the globe. El Niña, La Niño, super typhoon even in the ber months and summer and other related calamities to name a few. This can be attributed to the current problems in global warming.

Global Warming has been a problem for the whole 20^th and now 21^st century. The increasing use of greenhouse gases and other things that is related in industrialization like deforestation and using natural resources as a source of energy contributed to our present problem.

To realize the problem about Global Warming more, we watched the GMA documentary “Signos: Ang Banta ng Nagbabagong Klima” and we got our carbon footprint at www.myfootprint.org. The documentary gave us an idea why Global Warming should not be taken for granted. The Philippines, being a tropical and third world country, suffered greatly in many ways because of changing climate. The frequent typhoons, flash flood, increased cases of epidemic diseases such as dengue and malaria, coral bleaching, the never ending flood that can erase a place in the Philippine map and others were some of the problem in the documentary. According to the documentary, the excessive use of our natural resources as energy started during the Industrial Revolution to improve the life around globe. Since then, the continuous seeking for improvement caused the nature to be neglected. We become negligent and reckless in using our technologies and innovations that help us reached this problem. In this decade alone, tragedies occurred side by side. In all of these tragedies, super typhoons Reming and Milenyo may be one of the most damage in recent memory. I remembered it because, when I was a freshman in UP Diliman, Milenyo caused strong rain and wind. I, with my friends, is playing in the rain not realizing the effects outside the dorm. When we buy a medicine for my friend, the damage has been done. I never imagined that the trees in UP succumbed to Milenyo. I didn’t realize Global Warming as a reason but, as I watched the documentary, I realized that we were accountable of our condition today.

Other places in the world are also affected by Global Warming. The ice cap in the polar region is melting continuously that made the water level rises and may cause the disappearance of low places. Fire tragedy is also abundant especially wildfire. Recently in California, wildfire strikes again. Many people evacuated because it is hard to stop. Good thing my grandfather near the wildfire evacuated immediately and his property is just fine.

The first world countries were using too many resources for their needs that affect the lower world countries like us. Still, we should be accountable to this. Garnering a footprint of 9.40 is good but in the Philippines is bad because I am above the average. What is alarming is that my footprint is concentrated in food and carbon. The reasons were my frequent trip back home and I love to eat but I am still thin. I realized that I was using too much of resources to contribute to the problem.

Solutions is not done overnight but if we know to do simple things it will help a lot. Like we should avoid overuse of appliances like tv, pc, etc. Turn off the lights if not used. Manage our garbage properly, conserve water etc. We need to realize that we should avoid the unnecessary use of resources. Be smart! Live Green! Fight Global Warming before nature kills us all.