I live in a city not far from the coast. Effects of
climate change in my local community are not visually evident due to the city
being one of the primary nests of business enterprises and economic ventures
(the heart of the region is also the country's capital). However, if we
continue to have a loose grasp on our activities that greatly affect climate,
one of the many significant changes that will occur would be increase in mean
annual temperatures effectuating a further proportional increase in cyclone
frequency. (Climate Change Impacts in Philippines)
More cyclones exacerbate an already impoverished community
Firstly, stronger and more frequent tropical cyclones would mean more suspended working days. Each suspended working day
approximately costs the industry hundreds of millions to a billion dollars (for
the years 2012-2014). (Monteiro & Del Rosario, 2014) This kind of
economic damage is harrowing to a third world country. It not only impedes
growth and development in these sectors but would worsen the current financial
problems it is currently struggling with.
Heavy rainfall and flooding in a city incapacitates public
transportation. Floods that exceed the height of an average car render roadways
impassable. People become stranded in
their homes. Those brave enough to risk the torrents are usually met with
injuries and sometimes death when carried away by strong currents. Social
order and law may break down. During typhoon “Ondoy”, there were reports of
certain stores charging extra for living necessities in hopes of creating
extra profit to recover from damages the typhoon has inflicted on them.
Another prominent social effect during a storm crisis is the
wave of depression that sweeps a person who witnesses the ordeals victims
go through during and after the storm. There is a feeling of helplessness and
empathy towards those who have lost their homes and their loved ones.
There are political issues as well in dealing with typhoons.
During typhoon “Yolanda”, there were reports of some iconic personalities who advertised
themselves on relief goods donated by other countries. Such clandestine acts
have been condemned by social media. Opposing political parties blame sluggish response time to the disaster on each other and on those officials
ranking above and below them (playing the infamous “blame game”). Any political
figure would have a hard time keeping a straight face with all the accusations
and problems being thrown at them (the system of information flow is imperfect
so judgement can’t be fully one-sided and justice can’t be fully exercised, the
media and people may be at fault too for setting unreasonable expectations on
very demanding situations).
Mitigating the consequences in my local community
It is hard to address this kind of problem, especially for
someone residing in an urban area. The only effective solution that comes to
mind is to remain active in environmental efforts and spread awareness. I
personally accomplish this by engaging in similar endeavors such as volunteering
for NGOs (ex. Greenpeace) and taking part in CSR (corporate social
responsibility) activities sponsored by the company I work for. In one of the
lecture videos on Climate Change (Coursera) by the University of Melbourne,
delivered by Professor John Barnett, he emphasized the popular misleading
notion that we are incapable of doing anything significant to combat the
effects of climate change. This, of course, is not true. It is like going back
to the mentality where we are too small, and the world is too big, for man to have
any permanent influence. Aside from pointing out this myth, Mr. Barnett also drove
a very striking question to the audience (or at least to me). “Is simply
planting trees enough to impede climate change?” Such a striking question
because most programs I’ve participated in dealt with planting and
nurturing trees. One such program is Greenpeace’s tree nurturing activity at a
dam which supplies the local community with drinkable tap water. The trees
surrounding the dam help prevent soil erosion on the adjacent hills and keep
the dam at safe water levels. Another is a CSR activity that involved planting
trees on a reservoir connected to the said dam. Do these activities really do
any good? Reflecting on the matter, it is better than doing nothing at all (but
this isn’t always the case because there are acts that seem to be helpful but
are in fact forms of maladaptation). Thus, I keep my fingers crossed and
continue to pursue such endeavors hoping that collective action in the long run
could somehow mitigate the consequences of climate change.
Works Cited
Climate Change Impacts in Philippines. (n.d.). Retrieved September 19, 2015, from WWF
Global:
http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/aboutcc/problems/rising_temperatures/hotspot_map/philippines.cfm
Monteiro, P., & Del Rosario, R. (2014, October
16). Holiday Economics. Retrieved September 19, 2015, from Makati
Business Club:
http://www.mbc.com.ph/engine/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/CW184.pdf
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