Global warming, ‘urgent concern’ – Green Convergence
Environmental Coalition Green Convergence held the 344th installment of the monthly Kamayan Para sa Kalikasan Forum about the 1.5°C Special Report on climate change of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on November 16, 2018 (Friday) at Kamayan Restaurant, EDSA, Mandaluyong City.
“The report highlights a number of climate change impacts that could be avoided by limiting global warming to 1.5°C compared to 2°C, or more,” explained Prof. Leoncio Amadore from the UP Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology.
He explained that even the mere 0.5°C rise in global temperatures in the past 50 years had serious negative impacts to our survival. He said, “[It] has contributed to shifts in the distribution of plant and animal species, decreases in crop yields and more frequent wildfire.”
A 1.5°C or 2°C rise is much worse. Amadore exclaimed, “Coral reefs would decline by 70-90 percent with global warming of 1.5°C, whereas virtually all would be lost with 2°C.”
Rodne Galicha, Living Laudato Si Philippines Convener called for the public to not support corporations that contribute to the worsening of the global climate, including those that produce massive wastes, invests in coal power, and destructive mining.
“We must divest for sustainability and invest in our common home,” stressed Galicha.
On the other hand, Father Pete Montallana, President of Save Sierra Madre Network and now also Convener of the URGENT Initiative shared that Filipino households should be educated to contribute in lessening the impacts of and eventually slowing down global warming.
“A Carbon-Neutral Philippines by the year 2030 through committed Ecological Filipino families,” Montallana mentioned as the Initiative’s main goal.
Green Convergence President Dr. Angelina P. Galang called for everyone to be proactive on the impacts of global warming and to participate in actions to slow it down.
Since March 1990, Kamayan Para Sa Kalikasan Forum has become an institutionalized platform that enables NGO and government representatives, the media, students, teachers, church groups, and concerned citizens to discuss pressing environmental issues in the country. This month’s forum is organized by Green Convergence and is supported by Kamayan Restaurant EDSA with the assistance of the Forest Foundation Philippines.
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