China and East Asian countries can cut down on Carbon Emissions

Some of the biggest nations of East and South-East Asia, including China, could stabilize their greenhouse gas emissions within 15 years at a price of $80 billion a year, the World Bank says. China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam could make a concerted switch to renewable energy and greater energy efficiency at modest cost in order to stop carbon emissions growing by 2025, the bank says in a report.

The Philippines for instance, like the other developing countries, is one the most affected countries having suffered extreme weather catastrophes in the world in the past several years. It contributes only 0.3% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the world, but gravely suffers from the 99.7% GHG emitted by other countries.

China is now the world’s biggest emitter and among those developing nations with the fastest growing emissions profiles as they rapidly industrialize, lifting their people out of poverty. Importantly, the World Bank study concludes that the low-carbon effort would not compromise the high rates of growth in the six countries considered. However, the bank also acknowledges that attracting the required $80 billion of investment annually in these countries will be a hard task, if history is anything to go by.

It is indeed high time for Asian countries to unite and concentrate its efforts on reducing its carbon footprint, aside from taking care of its normal economic concerns.  Because although these countries contribute much lesser carbon emissions, they suffer as badly as any other country in the world. 

SOURCE

Climate Change Deniers continue to Intimidate Climate Change Advocacy

Climate scientists have been facing life threats due to an "ongoing campaign of cyber-bullying directed at climate scientists themselves. Any climate scientist in the news now receives a torrent of aggressive and abusive emails."

This has been ongoing since last year for several scientists and threats were not limited to verbal threats alone. "Climatologist Ben Santer even found a shredded animal on his doorstep late one night after someone rang his doorbell."

This intimidation campaign for climate change advocacy has shown to be indomitably pursued by conservatives." Targeting individuals at their residences is a strong indication that the intimidation campaign is determined and well-orchestrated."

The efforts of these  so-called 'climate denialists" who mostly are conservatives and conservative activists are undoubtedly unproductive. Man nowadays through technology has a profound effect of changing the earth much more rapidly than we were able to, hundreds and decades of years ago. Thus it is of no no doubt that MAN has truly caused what we are all experiencing right now, from the earthquakes of Haiti to the flooding in Manila, which caused thousands of death and millions worth of damages.

Thus if we just keep on arguing about the authenticity of climate change, then we are just wasting our time. Each second that passes by counts. We'd rather help fellow human beings prepare for the impacts and try to stop climate change at its roots.

SOURCE

AN INVITATION: The Eastern Visayas Climate Project Forum

Twenty typhoons annually visit the country bringing heavy rainfall that causes flooding, landslides and mudslides. These in turn destroy valuable agricultural land and settlements, and claim many lives every year. Other hazards such as El Nino aggravate the extent of these damages, which sum up to an annual loss of 0.5% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). 

Eastern Visayas, mainly consisting of the islands of Leyte, Samar and Biliran, is one of the most disaster prone regions in the Philippines, experiencing some of the worst typhoons ever recorded in Philippine history, killing over a thousand people through a mudslide in Feb., 2006, and over 6,000 people due to typhoons back in 1990-1991.  Disaster preparedness is one of the weaknesses of the region and for the most part, it is still seen as emergency management. The government and the local people are neither sufficiently prepared nor well equipped to implement preventive measures and execute the right actions in the event of an emergency. Furthermore, the archipelagic nature of the country further increases its vulnerability to the rising sea levels brought about by melting polar ice caps. Some of the islands will thus be underwater and marine resources will be extinct within the century, according to United Nations studies.

It is in this context that The Eastern Visayas Climate Project Forum was conceptualized to bring together concerned and committed people from the different sectors of the society who’ll be willing to help prepare communities and people toward climate change preparedness, adaptation and mitigation while uplifting the people’s economic and organizational capacity to withstand its adverse effects.

The Eastern Visayas Climate Project Forum aims to:

1. Educate: participants on the various aspects of climate change, including the scientific basis, environmental and social impacts, policy and strategy options, and operational measures to address climate change effects.

1. Unite: key representatives from the different sectors of the society to discuss and express their concerns about climate change-related problems.

1. Form a regional network of advocates: which will be known as The Eastern Visayas Climate Project, which will initiate research, policy proposals, or advocacy programs to address the different climate change issues in the region.

Climate change is affecting EVERYONE, and WE NEED YOU to help us, help other people through this project. If you want to donate to our cause please contact the Sponsorship Committee through: 

Dr. Eulito V. Casas (Adviser) - tevcpf@yahoo.com / veulitocasas48@yahoo.com /   

                                               63939.630.4202 / 053.321.8299

People around the world and all over Eastern Visayas are ready for action. Each of us has the power to make the transition to a better, more sustainable future for us, our children and the generations to come. Together, our efforts will help solve the climate crisis.

 For more information, you can visit our website at https://sites.google.com/site/evclimateforum/home