Pinoy joins Al Gore in online climate change campaign

A Filipino environmentalist has joined former US Vice President Albert Arnold Gore Jr. in a global Internet campaign on the crisis caused by climate change. Rodne Galicha joined Gore and 22 others in delivering multimedia presentations connecting the changing climate and extreme weather conditions around the world. “If we are unable to act, with this phenomenon, we are committing suicide, for the next generation. Homo sapiens now become the most critically endangered species of all time," Galicha said at the conclusion of his presentation, according to an article posted on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines news site Friday night. Galicha is executive director of the Sibuyan Island Sentinels League for Environment. He was one of 11 Filipinos trained personally by Gore to conduct presentations on climate change. He is the Climate Reality Project District Manager in the Philippines. The global campaign, "24 Hours of Reality," was broadcast live over the Internet on Sept. 14 and 15 via Ustream, and can be viewed at www.climaterealityproject.org. It featured scientists, celebrities, business leaders and concerned citizens together with Gore. Presenters showed the impact of climate change, characterized by extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and typhoons worldwide, from Tonga to Cape Verde and Mexico City to Alaska. The campaign was hosted by Gore’s The Climate Reality Project in partnership with various organizations throughout the world that are working to find solutions to help solve the problem of climate change. Tribute to indigenous peoples In his presentation, Galicha showed the impact of climate change on the Solomon Islands to an estimated online audience of 2.6 million. He started his presentation with a tribute to indigenous peoples, who he said "have been inspiring us all, who have been maintaining the balance of this planet." During his presentation, he showed the solar panels in a research facility in Laguna, the e-jeepney and the effects of the 2009 Tropical Cyclone Ondoy (Ketsana) on the Philippines. Other Pinoy presenters Philippine presenters led by Galicha have delivered more than 300 presentations in three years and have reached a combined audience of up to 60,000 people. The other presenters include:

• Atty. Persida Rueda-Acosta, Chief, Public Attorney’s Office (PAO)
• Miguel Magalang, Executive Director of Marinduque Council for Environmental Concerns (MACEC)
• Gilbert Roland Sape, International Campaigner of Pesticide Action Network – Asia Pacific (PAN-AP)
• Bro. Jaazeal Jakosalem, OAR Administrator of University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos (UNO-R), trained in Beijing, China in June 2010
• Dr. Maria Balatbat, Senior Lecturer at the School of Accounting, University of New South Wales, Australia
• Fr. Amado Emmanuel Bolilia, OAR, Vice President for Religious Affairs at University of San Jose Recoletos (USJR)
• Philline Marie Paye-Donggay, Communications/PR of Greenergy
• Napoleon Paris, Regional Coordinator of Tuklas Katutubo (Discover Indigenous Peoples)
• Shiela Castillo-Tiangco, Co-Founder, Movement of Imaginals for Sustainable Societies through Initiatives, Organization and Network (MISSION)
• Noel Verdote, Director of PhilEnergy, Ayala Property Development Corporation (APMC).