AT THE recent 3-day Asia-Europe Meeting(ASEM) conference on disaster risk and management, President Benigno S. Aquino III emphasized the need for countries to come together, to make the world climate-proof.
He said that climate change has been a major threat to island-countries and that Super Typhoon Yolanda serves as a major warning about the worsening effects of climate change — a challenge that requires the government to take on more initiatives than ever before.
“What did the thousands, who perished and the millions affected by that super typhoon do to deserve such a fate? Is it not incumbent upon all of us to address the problem of climate change as one global community at the soonest possible time?” Aquino asked.
The president said that the Philippines “is trying to integrate the principles on climate adaptation, so it would influence decision-making in governance and encourage other nations toward realizing this end,” as reported by Philstar.com.
“Essentially, we are trying to climate-proof our path to progress,” he said.
But climate change is a feat that cannot be overcome by one nation alone.
“This is why I encourage all of you: Let us continue working together through forums such as this one, and let us deepen our cooperation to give rise to a world that is safer and more resilient,” he said.
Meanwhile, European Union Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Kristalina Georgieva cited the developments in Tacloban City and her recent second visit to the province “made it clear why we are here, why it is so critically important for the world to embrace this task of building resilient societies in Asia, in Europe, and for the whole community.”
During the recent World Economic Forum on East Asia (which was held in Manila), UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Kyung-wha Kang said that “the Yolanda experience will be talked about for many years, both in this region and for us because there are many good lessons.”
According to Aquino, although the Philippines is used to being hit by typhoons, recent storms have been more powerful and have shifted from their usual path — hitting new and previously less-frequented areas.
Vice President Jejomar Binay is urging Filipinos to play an active role in mitigating the effects of climate change.
“We must do our part to stave off the effects of climate change. Our contributions need not be on a grand scale. The simple act of switching off lights that are not in use, or turning off a faucet to conserve water, is sure to go a long way,” Binay said, adding that Filipinos need to reduce their carbon footprint by practicing the 3Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle.
At the end of the ASEM conference, a new international disaster risk reduction and management framework called the “Tacloban Declaration” was adopted.
According to Philstar.com, the declaration “embodies specific proposals and principles for a global framework for DRRM for the next 20 years.”
The Philippines’ willingness to participate in global efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change is a step in the right direction.
Hopefully, climate change will be given more immediate and due attention, or as Pres. Aquino warned: “We can either act collectively to address the problem, or we can choose to act independently, or not at all, and suffer the aftermath of inaction collectively.”
(AJPress)