PHL Launches Youth’s Anti-Climate Change Campaign

The Philippines – which experts identified as among the most at risk for climate change – bolstered its bid for an international climate deal in Paris this year.

On Tuesday (Oct. 6), government launched in Metro Manila the #nowph campaign for gathering one million signatures from the country’s youth to help amplify local and international calls for such deal.

Such target deal aims at further easing countries’ climate change-driving greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to prevent a 2°C rise in global temperature so the world can avoid climate chaos.

“Not in our watch must we allow temperature to rise beyond 2°C,” Climate Change Commission (CCC) Vice-Chairperson Lucille Sering said at the launch.

She raised urgency for action, noting temperature rise already exceeded 0.8°C.

“We’re increasingly seeing impacts of such temperature rise,” she warned, observing extreme weather events are becoming more frequent in the country.

Aside from rising frequency of such events, experts said sea level and temperature rise were also the changing climate’s impacts on the Philippines.

Experts already said GHG emissions accumulated in the atmosphere and trapped heat there, raising global temperature and thus resulting in climate change.

The launch of the #nowph campaign is among government’s strategies to draw more public support for a climate deal and implementation of measures to mitigate such emissions.

Authorities concerned will present to the French Embassy in Manila signatures gathered during the campaign.

Those signatures will be young people’s collective voice clamoring for an end to climate change which is affecting them, noted National Youth Commission Chairperson Gio Tingson.

“Today is a good day for the Philippines and is another opportunity for our young people to push the campaign against climate change,” he said at the launch.

Among personalities who attended the launch and agreed to be #nowph Pillars of Climate Action were rapper Gloc 9, teen star Janine Gutierrez, broadcast journalist Jiggy Manicad, Greenpeace campaigner Ben Muni and NGO Dakila communications chief Renee Karunungan.

Show business stars National Youth Commission Commissioner-at-Large Dingdong Dantes and his wife Marian Rivera also graced the event to support the campaign.

Dantes believes the youth can make a difference in the bid for a climate deal in Paris.

“If it’s in our young people’s interest, they’ll do it particularly since they have the energy and time,” he said on the launch’s side.

He noted emergence of new technologies, particularly incommunication, can help facilitate youth participation in such bid.

“I believe it’s really a matter of harnessing the right energy and re-directing it to an urgent cause,” he also said.

The #nowph Pillars of Climate Action committed supporting the call for global climate change action.

They also committed to practice and promote the 15 strategies for low-emission development (LED).

Such strategies for helping lower climate change-driving greenhouse gas emissions are switching off and unplugging appliances when not used; walking, biking or car pooling; using eco bags instead of plastic ones; bringing own tumblers; planting trees; promotingrenewable energy; segregating waste as well as practicing waste reduction, reuse and recycling – the three Rs of waste management.

Using energy-efficient appliances; recycling electronic gadgets and batteries; promoting environmental and energy awareness; using pails, dippers and cups; printing documents only when necessary; avoidingwaste-burning and supporting earth-friendly products are also among the LED strategies. (PNA) RMA/CJT/EDS