Kim’s Dream Orlan Ravanera
Our Duty to Save the Earth
How amazing it is to hear the 2nd State of the Nation Address of PresBBM especially when he said that, “When it comes to energy, renewable energy is the way forward. We are aggressively promoting renewables – – – Since last year an additional`126 renewable energy contracts with potential capacity of 31,000 megawatts have been awarded. To date, we have over a thousand active projects spread all over the country: 299 of these are solar, 187 are wind; 436 are hydroelectric; 58 biomass; 36 geothermal; and 9 are ocean powered.” Wow, so spectacular! Why is this so? Such pronouncement coming from no less than the President himself has put in clear categorical term the imperative shift from the business-as-usual Climate Change contributing energy paradigm to clean renewable energy which, if I may recall was never followed as discussed in the 2022 G20 World Summit which was attended by some 300 world leaders.
That World Conference of the Parties (COP26) on the G20 Summit on Climate Change, has pronounced that it is our duty to save the Earth with no less than Prince Charles giving the opening statement that “we don’t just need finer words but more on finer actions!” Everyone is singing that tune now of saving the Earth but still it is business-as-usual.
While environmentalists worldwide are serving notice to one and all that in the absence of a major change, the global system will collapse in less than 100 years as the “tipping point” has already been reached because of two major reasons namely: Climate Change and Economic Unsustainability. Climate change is glaringly manifested by global warming, the melting of the 386-meter-high iceberg in the Arctic and the Antarctic resulting to the rising of the ocean level, the acidification of the oceans, the extinction of the species, among others. The unsustainability of the economy is shown in what His Holiness Pope Francis described as “glaring and scandalous social inequities,” stating further “it bids us all to break the bond of oppression and social injustice.” The assets of some 5,000 billionaires on earth are far greater to the total assets of the 7.2 billion people world’s population. These billionaires are fronting the neo-liberal capitalism paradigm called corporate globalization “where economic dictatorship is grafted onto representative democracy giving way to the toxic growth of religious fundamentalism and right-wing extremism, leading not only to the death of democracy but to the democracy of death,” to quote world renowned environmentalist, Dr. Vandana Shiva.
The growth-at-all-cost development paradigm that sacrifices Mother Earth and the people to the altar of greed, profit, fame and power is the main culprit in this above-mentioned unsustainability that is wrecking ecological havoc, gross inequities, social injustices and dire poverty. It is paradoxical and even causing nausea to hear these world leaders talked, calling to save the Earth during these most critical times of planetary emergency where the doomsday clock has been described as just “one minute before midnight,” yet, they continue to advance neoliberal economic paradigm that is causing climate change and so much inequities. While the Philippines is seen “as a frontline state in the battle against climate change, having been battered by relentless storms in recent years, it refrained from giving commitment to stop the usage of coal. That stand should be unacceptable especially to the Mindanawons because in Mindanao alone we have some 6 coal-fired power plants established in different provinces of Mindanao totaling some 2,200 megawatts. Based on scientific findings, burning coal is the leading cause of smog, acid rain, global warming and air toxics. In an average year, a typical coal plant (about 100MW) generates 3,700,000 tons of carbon dioxide, the primary human cause of climate change – as much as carbon dioxide as cutting down 161 million of trees.
In addition to the many air toxics that are causing cancer, abortion, chronic bronchitis, aggravated asthma and premature death, a typical coal plant emits 10,000 tons of sulfur dioxide which causes acid rain that damages forest, lakes and buildings and forms small airborne particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs. Thus, it is so disappointing to note that while the clamor worldwide is to PHASE-OUT the usage of coal, yet, COP26 decided just to PHASE-DOWN, based on the dictate of China and India! Worse, the Philippines’ stand was to refrain from giving any commitment, meaning, continue the usage of coal in the Philippines without let-up. That was the government’s stand in consonance with the oligarch’s stand. Is that the stand of the Filipino People? Of the Mindanawons? NEVER. In several environmental summits, thousands of participants had expressed condemnation of the establishment of coal-fired power plants since 2010 but were never listened to.
In these contemporaneous times amidst the glaring threats of climate change, there is now an on-going world shift to debunk death causing technologies and replace them with environment-friendly renewable energy such as solar and wind to stop “business-as-usual” development paradigm perpetuated by the neo-liberal capitalism and to replace it with social solidarity economy. The time has come to give priority to the people and the environment and not to business and profits. Unless these paradigm shifts are pursued by the world leaders, then, all the talks on saving the Earth will just be rhetorical, aptly described by Shakespeare as “full of sound and fury signifying nothing.”
It is in this context that the Second State of the Nation Address of PresBBm has come of age. This time, it is so amazing that finally the much needed paradigm shift will now be trailblazed by no less than PresBBM himself. To that your Excellency, our firm salute. When that paradigm shift that promote renewable energy to debunk the business-as-usual destructive highly CO2 emitting technologies that are worsening climate change, we can finally save GAIA (Mother Earth) – all for God’s greater glory. MABUHAY PO KAYO, PresBBM!
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