Seminar on climate change tackles access to technology and information

Access to base maps generated through modern technology and shared responsibility in managing our resources are both necessary and practical solutions in coping with the threats of climate change. This summarizes the seminar on climate change using the geographic information system (GIS) technology given by Dr. Esteban Godilano at the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR).

Dr. Godilano, an environmental science expert connected with the Department of Agriculture (DA), said that the Philippines, currently on the top three most vulnerable countries in the world, is in the forefront in terms of awareness to climate change particularly after the unexpected wrath of Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng in 2009.

However, Dr. Godilano showed in his presentation why awareness is only the first step; it must be followed through by concrete actions.

Citing major scientific data generated from international studies about the reality of climate change, he showed the predicted impacts of La Niña events in the country that would cause massive landslides, soil erosion, and flooding due to heavy rainfall. According to the GIS maps generated, he said that the impact of La Niña is expected to affect 69 out of 81 provinces in the Philippines.

“Today, GIS is no longer a luxury for the academe, scientists, and policy makers. It now becomes a necessity. Access to these maps should be available to the public especially to local government units, farmers, and fisherfolk,” he stated.

“It is not true that farmers couldn’t understand how remote sensing or GIS works. If you explain to them in plain language why it’s useful, they could even help you in getting the correct data you need to provide accurate results in generating the maps,” he added.

Dr. Godilano showed some of the local maps generated through GIS including suitability maps of planting crops such as peanut, banana, sugarcane, and coconut.

Moreover, on agriculture and fisheries alone, Dr. Godilano discussed the adverse impacts of climate change including changes in yield and growing season patterns, onslaught of pest and diseases, salinazation of irrigation water, loss of fertile lands caused by rising sea levels, and more unpredictable farming conditions.

“With uncertainties in climate becoming the norm rather than the exception, public access to maps and information is one of the critical factors towards saving lives and properties,” he stressed.

Dr. Godilano also emphasized the necessary concerted and integrated effort on watershed management and planning.

“Landslide and flooding do not respect administrative boundaries or local jurisdictions,” he quipped on why watershed management is a shared responsibility.

This shared responsibility could also be extended on the individual level. Dr. Godilano explained that while the country’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is insignificant compared to industrialized countries such as China and the US, Filipinos could easily make valuable contribution to climate change mitigation by saving on energy.

“On the individual level, unplugging our appliances at home or switching off the lights when it is not being used are simple acts of responsible energy consumption that could help in mitigating climate change,” he said. Miko Jazmine J. Mojica, DA-BAR