Naga City -- Led by Most Rev. Msgr. Jose Rojas, Jr., Bishop of the prelature of Libmanan, the convenors of the Camarines Sur Summit on Climate Change (CSSCC), said that the forum aims to deepen the peoples' understanding on climate change and global warming and initiate harmonized action to help address the problem thru a multi-sectoral consultative and action planning conference. According to former Naga City Councilor Julian Lavadia, Jr., a noted local environmentalist and one of the prime movers of the summit, the conference set on July 29 at the St. Peter Baptist Center, Holy Rosary Major Seminary here, will be attended by representatives of the cross section of the community. Department of Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes, Jr., a former secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and now chairman of Task Force Climate Change will be one of the speakers. Among those expected to grace the occasion are local officials of the province Camarines Sur and the cities of Naga and Iriga. Father Granwell Pitapit, executive director of the Summit, said the CSSCC hopes to achieve better understanding by the people in local communities on the subject of climate change and global warming, their causes, impacts and solutions. It hopes to formalize the network of groups and individuals who are committed in helping address this problem for greater impact and effectiveness. " We envision the formulation of concrete, practical and localized solutions to be implemented by each of the participating sectors", Pitapit further disclosed. A clear understanding of the issues on global warming has not substantially trickled down to the common citizen to a level that would motivate the private citizens into action, according to Pitapit. He pointed out that despite the people's continuing talk about global warming, with non-government organizations, educational institutions, civil society groups and other organizations starting their own initiatives and projects on climate change, the independent actions seem to lack impact due to a lack of harmonization of efforts. Pitapit said man's mismanagement of the world's resources has aggravated these with the ill- effects of global warming. "The higher intensity of typhoons, the higher levels of rainfall and the extreme droughts have made the people more susceptible to calamities and pushed them into greater depths of poverty." Locally, he noted that the topography and location of the province of Camarines Sur have made it vulnerable to the destructive winds of typhoons and the overflow of rivers and lakes from heavy rains.
RSS Feed