Climate change, carbon footprint calculation seminar-workshop concludes, ecological literacy highlighted

Green Convergence (GC), through its Ako Ang Bukas (AAB) Advocacy Program, concluded the seminar-workshop on greenhouse gas (GHG) themed “Climate Change and Your Carbon Footprint” on September 29, at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Manila. The first session was held last July 21, 2025.

Opening the session, Senior Museum Researcher of the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) Zoology Division Rolly C. Urriza acknowledged that the partnership for the seminar-workshop, as well as the collaboration with the participants from different sectors, is a step towards awareness in order to create informed decisions for the environment.

With the seminar-workshop being an extension of the Katumbalikwasan exhibition, National Coordinator of Aksyon Klima Pilipinas (AKP), John Leo Algo, explained the meaning behind the term “katumbalikwasan,” which was coined to redefine resilience in the Filipino context, emphasizing the interconnectedness of climate, nature, and people.

The exhibition was launched last April 28, 2025, and can be viewed at the National Museum of Natural History.

Moreover, as one of the sponsors of the seminar-workshop, Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) Program Officer Hanna Relanes also reiterated in her remarks the importance of exploring green solutions and other decarbonization efforts not only to manage risk, but also reduce costs.

As one of the sponsors as well, Philippine Network of Educators on Environment (PNEE) President and GC Trustee Dr. Cecilia Navasero-Gascon talked about ecological literacy by applying Bloom’s Taxonomy to understand climate change and reduce carbon footprint.

Deriving from David Orr’s definition, ecological literacy is ‘not just about understanding the environment but about acting on that understanding; knowing how the world works, then using the knowledge to make choices that preserve its well-being.’

Navasero-Gascon shared that, though there is awareness on environmental issues, the Philippines still has a gap in terms of integrating climate change in the education systems, hence the difficulty in making and implementing informed decisions.

According to her, Bloom’s Taxonomy can be a framework to promote ecological literacy, designed to move learners from just mere knowledge to actual action—from remembering, understanding, applying, analysing, evaluating, all the way to creating.

“Climate change is no longer a distant threat, it is a present reality that touches every part of our lives—from the food we eat and the air we breathe, to the security of our communities and the future of our children,” Navasero-Gascon expressed.

Within the scope of the ecology, AAB Program Director and GC Trustee Dr. Angelina Galang kickstarted the session proper with a discussion of the seven environmental principles and their fundamental link to GHG accounting.

She stressed that humanity’s growing disconnect from nature has influenced today’s crises—from biodiversity loss to waste mismanagement and deforestation.

Tracing human cultural evolution from hunting and gathering all the way to globalization, she warned that rapid human-driven changes are worsening climate change, urging people to rethink their impact and question whether a sustainable balance with nature is still possible.

First Philippine Holdings (FPH) Chief Sustainability Officer Agnes de Jesus then discussed climate change in-depth—its impacts and how GHG accounting can help mitigate these.

De Jesus highlighted the Philippines’ commitment to reducing emissions under the Paris Agreement and introduced the AAB calculators as practical tools to help households and organizations understand and track their carbon footprint, mentioning also the pending requirement for enterprises to report on their carbon emissions in a few years time.

She also discussed GHG emission boundaries, the mitigation hierarchy and strategies, and natural and manmade carbon offsetting as key steps toward meeting the 2030 and 2050 climate goals—linked to offsetting is her discussion on how carbon dioxide is absorbed by trees.

Furthermore, de Jesus debunked climate myths such as climate change being nature’s process and not manmade, a few degrees of temperature not being a big deal, climate action solely being the government’s duty and not every individual’s, and climate solutions being expensive which disregard cheaper clean options.

These myths are then said to result in maladaptation of climate actions, harming the environment and impacting climate change more than resolving the issues.

Discussing the roles of the museums in addressing climate change, NMP Zoology Division Senior Museum Researcher Merlyn F. Geromiano shared their commitment to education and raising public awareness through learning sessions, community engagement and safe spaces, research and knowledge creation, sustainable practices and leadership and policy advocacy and global partnerships through multistakeholder collaborations, preservation of heritage and biodiversity at risk, and ultimately, inspiring action and change.

Linking these, Geromiano reiterated the importance of the use of a carbon footprint calculator to raise awareness about climate change, hence the partnership with AKP and GC through the AAB advocacy program for the Katumbalikwasan exhibition.

Lastly, AAB Program Leader Milagros Serrana led the workshop on the AAB entity and household-level GHG calculators. She walked through the household calculator web app, then the excel-based entity-level calculator.

With the use of prepared dummy data for schools and a manufacturing company, she demonstrated how to input data and how the calculator presents graphically the results which show the users’ hotspots. Participants, mostly from the academe and businesses, were able to collaborate on the workshop activities to altogether understand the AAB calculators’ use.

NMP’s OIC-Director II Maileen P. Rondal of the National Museum of Natural History then closed the seminar-workshop with a reflection that the connection between humanity and nature is inseparable, hence the need for stewardship rather than exploitation.

“Together, our small conscious decisions can lead to significant impacts. Together we can be part of the solution,” Rondal concluded.

Ako Ang Bukas (or “I am the future”) is a movement with a central campaign, “Quantum Leap NOW: Climate Neutrality 2050.” It seeks to involve all sectors and levels of society nationwide in taking urgent, concerted action to address the climate crisis facing the country and the world.

Be part of a bigger change by signing the pledge and joining the AAB program through this link: bit.ly/AKOANGBUKAS. Moreover, calculate your carbon footprint using the AAB household GHG calculator through this link: aab-household-ghg.web.app.