Al Gore says PHL food systems also vulnerable to global warming

Beyond extreme weather incidents and rising sea levels, climate change could also affect the food systems in vulnerable countries such as the Philippines, according to former United States Vice President Al Gore.

Gore, who won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for his efforts to raise awareness about climate change, made the statement in a forum in Manila held by his organization The Climate Reality Project, noting that global warming affects food supply and water supply.

"There has been a growing recognition by scientists that the food system may be much more vulnerable to climate change than they thought it would," he said.

Corn, cassava, and wheat yields decline eventually with higher temperatures, according to Gore. Levels of nutrients of crops are also compromised because of the high temperature.

Water supply is also expected to be affected by increasing heat.

“As global temperatures continue to increase, earth’s water cycle continues to intensify. Harder downpours simultaneously cause longer and deeper droughts,” Gore said, explaining that the extra heat of the atmosphere causes evaporation even of the moisture of the soil.

He added that by 2050, warmer temperatures will reduce fish catch by more than 50 percent.

“93 percent of all this extra heat energy that is trapped goes to the ocean,” Gore said.

Changing weather patterns

Gore warned that global warming is already contributing to the changing weather patterns in the country.

He presented the 2005-2015 data of global temperature where extremely hot days occurred more frequently compared to previous records. He added that 14 out of 15 of the hottest years on record happened since the turn of the century.

Meanwhile, Gore said over 13 million Filipinos are going to face relocation if the rise in sea level caused by melting of glaciers continues. 

Gore pushed for the Philippines to use renewable sources of energy and wean itself off its dependence on fossil fuels.

“Why not use solar energy? It doesn’t create pollution, doesn’t create global warming,” Gore said.

He said there is enough solar energy that reaches the earth to fill all the world’s energy needs for a year.

The Philippines has committed to the United Nations 70 percent reduction in emission of greenhouse gases by 2030.

But the country relies heavily on coal power plants. Despite the coal demand slowing down globally, coal usage in the Philippines increased by 27 percent within 2012 and 2014. —JST, GMA News