When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged this week his 114 million countrymen to participate in world efforts to address the negative effects of climate change, he on the nose marked the gravity of the global problem.
The world, which now has 8 billion people, celebrated Earth Day on April 22 – but this should be in the awareness of the people every day for 365 days of the year.
“This Earth Day, we urge the public and our fellow public servants to join the global action against climate change,” President Marcos said in a post on Twitter.
The Philippines has been cited as among the most vulnerable countries to climate change with an average of 20 typhoons visiting it annually.
The President is aware of the figures, chasing that with “Our administration remains fully supportive of environmental programs and policies.”
Unquestionably, there are government initiatives to combat climate change,which are clear on the social media sites of the Climate Change Commission, the lead policy-making body which the President chairs.
The CCC ensures mainstreaming climate change in national, local and sectoral development plans towards a climate-resilient and climate-smart Philippines.
At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit in Bangkok, Thailand in November last year, the President highlighted that climate change was “the most pressing existential challenge of our time” that indelibly impacts the global economy.
He underscored how the Philippines was at great risk from the climate crisis, as it stood to lose over six percent of gross domestic product annually by 2100, citing a study by the Manila-based Asian Development Bank.
Indeed, Filipinos should rally behind the President and recognize the importance of our planet for the sake of our health and that of the succeeding generations.
Research has shown that 66,230 died in the Philippines in 2019 from the negative effects of air pollution alone, of which 64,920 deaths were estimated to be adults and 1,310 children.
This is significantly higher than previous estimates made for the country, aligning the impact with the most recent literature.
They are among more than 13 million deaths round the world, caused by avoidable environmental factors, based on analysis by the Geneva-based World Health Organization.
This figure takes into account the accelerating climate crisis, which is the single biggest health threat facing humanity, but also includes air pollution, inadequate sanitation and clean water, exposure to chemicals and radiation, and unsafe urban environments.
Indubitably, our environment provides the fundamental requirements for life: clean air and water, safe food, and shelter.
But, as the WHO says, nature is both the origin of infectious and vector-borne diseases and the source of medicines, including many antibiotics, stressing human impact on the environment is increasing the risk of emerging infectious diseases in humans, over 60 percent of which originate from animals, mainly from wildlife.
We are inspired by experts’ recommendation to adopt a One Health policy recognizing the inter-connection of human, animal and environmental health and tackle environmental issues to set societies on the right track for future generations.
We join advocates in not only imagining a #HealthierTomorrow – let’s make it happen.
