Climate Change Mitigation Should Be Everyone's Concern

I am a mother of three very young children here in the Philippines. Being a third world country whose people are more busy with making an income to survive a given day than engaging in other social concerns, the Philippines as a nation has not been very keen on supporting the climate change problem. In my province, climate change forums come very far in between. Solid Waste Management is a peripheral program. The logging industry is very much alive while enrichment planting schemes are questionable. If this attitude goes on for a long time, then I am afraid that the environment that my children and their children will inherit from us will no longer be fit for human survival.

If the result of my informal interviews with my own neighbors is any indicator, then the primary problem is lack of education in the basic level. Out of the 12 that I talked to, only 3 (teachers) know about climate change. The rest either don't understand the issue or don't really care at all. But the teachers who knew what climate change is and what causes it do not even practice waste segregation. One of them even incenerate his garbage in the backyard thereby contributing to the volume of greenhouse gasses trapped in our atmosphere. I am worried because more people in the community level not caring about the climate change issue is equivalent to more garbage, more environmental violation, and a worst climate change scenario.


I would like very much for local governments to spend more not only on informing but on training basic communities how to adapt to and mitigate climate change. And this trainings should be done up-close and more hands-on, not through television and radio spots, internet and limited primers alone. A considerable number of people in countries outside of the First World are not very familiar with the English language which is commonly used in information materials. On top of this, they may have no access to electronic information highways like televisions. Or, if they do have one, the chance of them being able to catch the information is limited since most of the time they are out in school or at work in the farms, oceans or on the streets.

Top level international efforts in mitigating climate change will only work if basic people who are actual contributors to the problem will support those efforts. Then again, base level endeavors will only succeed if there is a sustained policy and fund support and motivation from the higher agencies and institutions. There should be parallel and intertwining efforts from both social segments.
I am very much worried about my children. I want to help in making their future environment still well and livable. And I hope and want for others in my level to do the same. I say, let us all take action now!