Legarda Renews Call for Whole-of-Society Approach to Address Climate Change

Senator Loren Legarda today renewed her call for convergence between and among government agencies, private sector, civil society groups and individuals in addressing the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events.

Legarda, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Climate Change, made the call as the country celebrates the National Climate Change Consciousness Week (November 19-25, 2015) with the theme, “Multiple Pathways, One Direction”.

“The solutions to climate change are technical and complex but one of the fundamental solutions is to change our collective consciousness, specifically consumerism and our throwaway culture,” she said.

The Senator explained that as delegates from governments, intergovernmental organizations, non-government organizations and civil society participate in the 21^stConference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) in France to negotiate an ambitious and legally binding climate deal, individuals must also do their share in mitigating climate change through low-carbon lifestyle.

“Saving on electricity, using low carbon technologies, conserving water, eating local food, planting more trees, among others, are just some of the simple ways by which we can significantly contribute to protecting our planet,” said Legarda.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said that the main cause of climate change is attributed to human activity and its production of excessive greenhouse gas emissions that alter the composition of the global atmosphere. The largest source of greenhouse gas is the burning of fossil fuels for electricity, heat and transportation.

“We also have to strictly enforce our environmental laws like the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, Renewable Energy Law, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, Climate Change Act, and People’s Survival Fund Law, among many others. We also have to strengthen our information and education campaign so that citizens would be aware of the negative impacts of environmental degradation and be encouraged to make environmental protection a way of life,” Legarda stressed.

“There are many ways to address climate change. It can only be resolved if we inculcate change individually while governments, private sector and civil society groups work at the macro level,” Legarda concluded.

The Climate Change Consciousness Week is being celebrated annually pursuant to Proclamation No. 1667 dated November 18, 2008. The Proclamation aims to create awareness on global warming and climate change by pursuing broad and intensive public information and educational campaign to secure the collective cooperation of private and public sectors at all levels in finding solutions.