Impacts of Climate Change to Philippines Marine Ecosystem
Seventy percent of Philippine communities are located in coastal areas thus The Philippines is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
The increase in temperature is already is causing irregular monsoon and extreme weather events in recent decades that devastate the fishery sectors.
The warming of sea water often associated with El Niño episodes have caused coral bleaching on massive scales never seen before. In the Philippines, the case of the El Nido reefs is instructive. Despite being one of the better managed reefs in the country, what used to be a diverse reef with 60-70% coral cover is now down to 5-10% after the devastating coral bleaching event during the 1997-1998 El Niño. It has not recovered to date. Nationwide, the 1998 coral bleaching event decreased live coral cover by as much as 49%.
The sea surface temperature (SST) in Bolinao during the same period ranged between 34.1 °C to 34.9 °C, killing a large number of giant clams.
Moreover, the increased concentration of dissolved CO2 in seawater will lower its pH, which in turn will alter ocean carbonate chemistry resulting to decreased calcification in corals, mollusks and other shell-forming organisms.
High SSTs also trigger algal blooms that cause red tides as well as fish kills.
Further, high SSTs disturb upwelling, depriving fish of vital nutrients necessary for survival and growth.
These climate-related impacts will devastate Philippine fisheries and the mercury and lead emissions from coal-fired power plants, particularly in the inner seas of the Visayas will probably render whatever remains of our fisheries unfit for human consumption. The advent of climate change just made the challenges to our mission more complex.
The effects of climate change are really devastating. Is there any way wherein we could reduce the effects? Climate change is but a natural earth process over millions of years and i am sure we could cope up with it and adapt.
how could we alleviate the impacts of the climate change ? im thinking of the easiest way which everybody can contribute ??
Climate change is indeed real, as our advocacy at NEDA, we can adapt to it. It should start in our home, ourselves. it all starts in us. reuse, reduce and recycle, saving water and electricity are measures that we can all do and it begins at home… I practice reusing and recycling by segregating our wastes such that most of our garbage are all bio-degradable. plastic containers are segregated and consolidated. I sell it to plastic collectors and use the proceeds for fare and baon for my son. sometimes we can buy food pa for lunch out from the earnings. then the plastic bags, I keep it and use it as garbage bags for our garbage bins. though how i wish we will not use plastic bags anymore… sometimes, street children ask for food and anything, i told them to pick up the plastic containers in our house for them to sell it… those simple ways if many of us will do the same, we can at least minimize the effects of climate change, besides it’s us, human beings that caused most of the world’s devastation.
It’s about time we consolidate our efforts,there are many things that we could do and we can start in our very homes. Reuse, reuse, recycle are the things we have satrted doing. We should start rebuy recycled products to support those who do it. Many of us cannot recycle because we are employed, and many of the recyclable wastes we sell them raw. So, we must support those who recycle for us.
We’re now suffering from climate change. All creatures in earth are affected due to this phenomenon. We cannot easily alleviate this problem because we cause too much damage. Solutions may take more time. We must know that all things here on earth have their limitations. We should know how to control ourselves…
Let us give attention to our mother Earth..It’s for our own safe.:)
We read everyday from different sources the above kind of observations and analysis as to the effects of Global warming, but we do not read specific and concrete program top really address the problem. Every knowledgeable individual agrees that the main source of toxic greenhouse gasses are the Transport sector (Land, Sea, Air), Bunker fuel users and Coal-fired power plants. But what is our government doing?
Since we can not live without the above toxic emitters, I strongly suggest that the leadership must now invite all Philippine inventors and work with them in coming out with the best invention that can really reduce toxic emission and possibly even cure those already in the air. Besides solving toxic emission in our country, our country can even make enough funds from Carbon Credit Trading which is now at $35 to $38 per tonne. Simple computation may suggest that of the 6 million vehicles plying our streets consuming an average 5 liters each with 2.4 kg of CO2 emitted per liter, we run into millions of CO2 emitted into the air. Reducing that by 30 to 50 percent is enough money from Carbon Credit Trading.
I appreciate the concern, the beautiful presentations and informations published every now and then by the different agencies, but again, I see no specific and concrete solution which should really address Global warming. Every delay means “We might be the first generation to pass on to our heirs, a planet, no more conducive to life”.
In recent years, 8.5 gigatons of carbon dioxide is deposited and accumulated into the atomosphere annually. From 240 ppm in year 1200 it is now 400 ppm. One gigtaton of CO2 is equal to the weight of one cubic kilometer of water and one part per million or ppm is equal to 4.1414 gigtatons. The problem would have been easily solved if the farmers refrained themselves from the practice of burning their agricultural waste. When rice stalks gets burned the CO2 that has been sequestered is returned into the atmosphere. Rice plantation has been found to have sequestered 3 gigatons of CO2 annually while corn sequestered 5.5 gigatons of CO2 anually.
This message comes from the author of FACTS AND FIGURE IN GLOBAL WARMING which can be accessed in Google by simply registering JUAN SUMBILLO.