Arroyo creates task force on climate change

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has created a body headed by the Environment Secretary to study climate change, assess its impact on the Philippines, and determine mitigating measures. The other members of the Presidential Task Force on Climate Change, created under Administrative Order 171, will include the Science and Technology, Agriculture, and Interior Secretaries, along with two private sector or civil society representatives. Mrs Arroyo said in a statement that as an archipelago and located in the typhoon belt, the Philippines is “highly vulnerable to the adverse effects resulting from climate changes and has been experiencing unusual number of high-intensity typhoons that have wrought devastations and anguish to our people." The task force was ordered to submit to Malacañang within 45 days its action plan to implement its mandate and to submit regular status reports. The President noted that the fourth assessment report on climate change of the United Nations Intergovernmenal Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicated that global temperature will continue to rise towards 2010, and in the short-term by about 1.4-5.8 degrees centigrade leading to an increase in the sea level from 18-59 centimeters by 2010. She added that the IPCC findings showed a 90 percent certainty that the rise in temperatures is “very likely" caused by human activity. The President said the task force would conduct rapid assessment on the impact of climate change in the Philippines especially on the most vulnerable sectors and will also ensure strict compliance to air emission standards The body will also fight deforestation and environmental degradation, undertake measures to prevent or reduce greenhouse gas emissions through fuel efficiency, conservation and waste management, conduct a massive awareness campaign, and design risk reduction and mitigation measures. The Department of the Environment and Natural Resources will provide secretariat support to the task force while the inter-agency committee on climate change would act as its technical arm. -GMANews.TV