Now that the campaign period for national posts has begun, talking about climate change and disaster preparedness may seem out of season.
After all, why discuss rain and flooding and the warming of the atmosphere when people in the capital are enjoying cool, non-threatening weather? Disasters have not been in the news recently.
What would be more fashionable these days is to pit one candidate against the other, focus on their unique traits and sound bytes, watch the mudslinging like it were a spectator sport and enjoy the faux prosperity that the season always offers.
Equally attractive is the speculation on who will win and who will claim to be victims of cheating.
But elsewhere in the country, entire provinces are suffering from the effects of El Niño. Already, farmers and fisherfolk see the erosion of income that would have sustained them for months. Hydroelectric sources of energy cannot live up to their potential. Blackouts punish communities, disrupting trade and inconveniencing the people.
This isn’t a case of waking up to a warm morning. All these are related.
Again, in a matter of weeks or months, we will certainly see disasters take their toll on lives, property, livelihood and infrastructure. How will we have improved from how we were this time last year and the year before?
Contrary to setting aside the topic in this campaign season’s conversations, voters should demand that the candidates vying for their support should have a solid agenda for mitigating climate change and adapting to its effects at whatever level of government they seek.
We should only take seriously those who can articulate a real plan to protect the people, make them less vulnerable, and enable them to build back better when disasters do strike. After all, these calamities do not distinguish between a regular year and an election year.