Philippine President, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, ordered Dept of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Sec. Angelo Reyes to create a taskforce that will tackle the issue of Climate Change in the Philippines. This is hot on the heals of a UN report, last Feb 2, 2007, that states that humans are the major cause of global warming.
Initial Members of the taskforce will be the Secretaries of the Dept of Science and Technology(DOST) and the Dept. of Energy (DOE.) There was also the possibility of the output of this taskforce be presented to the ASEAN council where the Philippines is currently the chairing country. Hence the need to draft a plan that will not only be applicable to the Philippines but also to the entire ASEAN region as well.
Arresting Global Warming by the reduction of emissions is one of the long term developmental goals of the current Philippine Administration. Specifically by running programs that are for protecting the environment, conserving energy, adapting the usage of biofuels, recycling of waste, and promoting all of these to the Filipino Public.
The report that the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released, said that there is very concrete evidence that humans are the main cause of global warming. This is by our emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and other greenhouse gases. The result being an expected 3C increase in global temperates on this century alone. Which will lead to extreme heat waves, changing global wind patterns, increased drought and rainfall in some regions, melting glaciers and increased sea levels.
Also stated in the report:
- The world’s average surface temperature has increased by around 0.74°C over the past 100 years (1906 - 2005). A warming of about 0.2°C is projected for each of the next two decades.
- The best estimates for sea-level rise due to ocean expansion and glacier melt by the end of the century (compared to 1989 – 1999 levels) have narrowed to 28 - 58 cm, versus 9 - 88 cm in the 2001 report, due to improved understanding. However, larger values of up to 1 m by 2100 cannot be ruled out if ice sheets continue to melt as temperature rises.
- Sea ice is projected to shrink in both the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Large areas of the Arctic Ocean could lose year-round ice cover by the end of the 21st century if human emissions reach the higher end of current estimates. The extent of Arctic sea ice has already shrunk by about 2.7 per cent per decade since 1978, with the summer minimum declining by about 7.1 per cent per decade.
- Snow cover has decreased in most regions, especially in spring. The maximum extent of frozen ground in the winter/spring season decreased by about 7 per cent in the Northern Hemisphere over the latter half of the 20th century. The average freezing date for rivers and lakes in the Northern Hemisphere over the past 150 years has arrived later by some 5.8 days per century, while the average break-up date has arrived earlier by 6.5 days per century.
- It is “very likely” that precipitation will increase at high latitudes and “likely” it will decrease over most subtropical land regions. The pattern of these changes is similar to what has been observed during the 20th century.
- It is “very likely” that the upward trend in hot extremes and heat waves will continue. The duration and intensity of drought has increased over wider areas since the 1970s, particularly in the tropics and subtropics. The Sahel, the Mediterranean, southern Africa and parts of southern Asia have already become drier during the 20th century.
- The number of tropical cyclones (typhoons and hurricanes) per year is projected to decline. However, the intensity of these storms is expected to increase, with higher peak wind speeds and more intense precipitation, due to warmer ocean waters.
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Category: Global Warming, Greenhouse Gas
