CCC batting for 100% Pinoy awareness on climate change

The Climate Change Commission (CCC) on Thursday said it is aiming for a "100 percent awareness level" of Filipinos on climate change after a polling body reported that only 52 percent of Filipinos are aware about the issue. A Pulse Asia survey released on August 16 said even after the Philippines was hit by devastating tropical cyclones caused by climate change, only 52 percent of Filipinos know what the term “climate change" actually means. The CCC expressed regret that many Filipinos are still not aware about the climate change issue even though they have already become victims of typhoons, floods and droughts caused by the unusual weather phenomenon. The CCC added that the Philippines has been globally recognized as one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change. The CCC said it will enhance its information and education advocacy on climate change—considered one of the greatest problems facing the world today— and appealed to the media to help the public become more aware about the issue. “Media plays a vital role in spreading the information and educating the public about the daunting escalating destruction of climate change particularly to our country," CCC Vice-Chairman Secretary Heherson Alvarez. President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III is the chairman of the CCC. “The CCC critically needs the support of the media to press forward it functions and advocacy, which are all intended to make climate-resilient communities in our country through a capacitatedlocal government units and citizens," he added. “Everyone should work together on this matter." The Pulse Asia survey was conducted from July 1 to 11 on a multistage probability sample of 1,200 representative adults 18 years old and above. The other important findings of the study, published on Monday at the Pulse Asia website are: • Most Filipinos (66%) experienced a big change in climate in the past three years • The predominant sentiment among Filipinos is that climate change is dangerous not only for the environment (71%) but also for their families and themselves (70%) • For a sizeable majority of Filipinos (63%), the recent calamities experienced by the Philippines and other countries may be attributed to human-induced environmental destruction • Filipinos are relatively active in environmental protection with most of them engaged in recycling (62%), tree planting (60%), and waste segregation (60%); sizeable percentages of Filipinos (20% to 30%) are prepared to do still more for the environment “Filipinos should contribute and actively participate in the collective effort of mankind to tackle this destruction, to fight for the survival of mankind against global warming and climate change especially since the impacts of climate change is seen to continuously intensify with a business as usual attitude," Alvarez said. “Globally we have to negotiate for deep and early cut. Developed countries must substantially reduce their carbon dioxide emissions. Meanwhile, here in our country, we have to build adaptation system and take on mitigation measures to minimize the destruction of climate change in our economy and lives," he also said. Alvarez said that science has indicated that there are around 200 Gigatonnes (Gt) of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere today and that the Earth’s temperature is currently at 1.5 degree Celsius, nearing the so-called 2 degree Celsius “tipping point" where climate change impacts may no longer be reversible. –VVP, GMANews.TV