DENR, USAID to conduct year-long study of Manila's greenhouse gas emissions

Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin, Ateneo de Manila University president and an atmospheric scientist, pointed to the horizon. “See that gray line? That’s 1-kilometer high. That’s gunk that cannot rise during cold weather. That’s the air we breathe,” Villarin said as he stood on the top floor of a building in Ortigas Business District. 

 

The Jesuit priest was one of the experts tapped by the Environment department and the USAID to help Metro Manila local governments calculate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the metropolis.

First study of its kind in the world  

The study, which involves the 17 local governments of the metropolis and the first of its kind in the world, aims to calculate the carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide gasses emitted by various sectors and industries in the city.

 

The project was launched by the DENR and the USAID a week before world leaders conduct another round of talks under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Durban, South Africa.

 

The UN FCCC eyes to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2050 and stop the planet from heating up by 2C, which causes extreme weather events.

 

The Durban summit also aims to have an agreement post-Kyoto protocol and establish a Green Climate Fund for countries vulnerable to climate change. 'Business as usual': a disastrous approach

 

Villarin, a member of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and other environment experts said a business-as-usual approach to the environment would be disastrous to the Philippines because of climate change.

 

He noted that the damage wrought by Ondoy and Pedring should remind local governments to heed scientists’ warnings on climate change and implement adaptation and mitigation measures to protect lives and properties.

 

“In spite Ondoy, we forget. That is my fear. I hope we have a sense already of the damage in Ondoy,” he said.

 

Typhoon Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) swept past Metro Manila, a city of 14 million, in September 2009, leaving hundreds dead and 80% of the city under water. Year-long collaboration with DENR, USAID, SEED

 

The study on Metro Manila’s GHG discharge is sponsored by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the USAID, and SEED Institute.

 

The inventory, which would take a year, would help local officials and the national government when they plan measures to cushion the effects of climate change and offset carbon emissions.

 

The USAID, in a statement, said the results of the GHG inventory would be presented to President Aquino next year.

 

Villarin said a study on Metro Manila’s GHG emissions is crucial as major urban centers tend to be the biggest source of GHG. Guidelines for planning future laws

 

By knowing how much GHG Metro Manila emits, local leaders would have a guideline in planning laws on transport, wastes, and energy use, for instance.

 

“Usually, a big city like Manila will make a big dent,” he said. Emissions from vehicles alone is a major factor, Villarin said.

 

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said vehicular emissions account for 80% of the pollution in the city.

 

These pollutants lead to the formation of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide. These get trapped in smog that blankets  the city’s lower atmosphere because  of the the cold weather and rain expected from the occurrence of La Niña.

 

The pollution in the metropolis has made Metro Manila residents vulnerable to upper respiratory diseases.

 

Paje said about half of the medicines sold in the city are for respiratory diseases like asthma and chronic cough.

 

So far, the level of total suspended particulates (TSPs) declined during the first three quarters of the year. However, it is still higher than the normal 90 ug/ncm.

 

The latest report from the DENR indicated a decrease to 120 ug/ncm in the 3rd quarter of 2011, from 130 ug/ncm during the same period last year. PHL to bear the brunt of climate change

 

The Philippines is one of the countries most vulnerable to the effects of global warming.   Local government scientists have warned that the Philippines will bear the brunt of climate change in the next decades.

 

In a study released last year, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) noted that climate data from 1960 to 2003 showed significant increases in the frequency of hot days and warm nights in many areas of the country.

 

Pagasa also observed that the number of cooler days had declined.  This trend mirrors the experience of other countries in Southeast Asia, Pagasa said, as it predicted more rains in the Philippines in the coming decades.

Findings from other studies  

A recent study by the United Nations University’s Institute for Environment and Human Security and the German Alliance Development Works said the Philippines is too poor to adapt to the effects of climate change such as higher sea level and heavier rainfall.

 

Another study released this week by the World Wide Fund for Nature-Philippines showed that major regional cities in the Philippines would also have to grapple with the effects of climate change such as rising sea level, ocean acidification, stronger storms, and heavier rainfall.

 

The WWF said Baguio City, the densely populated city in northern Philippines, is most vulnerable to climate change because it has low adaptive capacity and high exposure to extreme weather such as typhoons. 

Davao was seen as the least vulnerable among the cities with room for sustainable, integrated area development, the WWF said. — TJD, GMA News