Climate justice: Farmers and scientists

December13,201310:20pm

As early as the 1990s, the Nobel Prize winning UN Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change predicted a devastating range of climate change impacts around
the world including an increase in the intensity and number of extreme weather
events, forest die-off, melting glaciers and slow onset events such as rising sea
levels with unimaginable disastrous consequences to agriculture and food
security.
Farmers in many parts of the world nowadays face many challenges. Among
them: meeting the ever increasing demand for adequate food supply; overcoming
land degradation and diminution; reducing rural impoverishment or poverty; and,
most important of all, coping with the impact of climate change on agriculture.
As the decision for a new international climate protection agreement moves from
Kyoto to Bali to Copenhagen to Warsaw and Paris in 2015, what are some of the
ways so far thought of to help farmers respond to the risks to sustainable
agriculture and food security of climate change?
Farmers, savants share knowledge
For one, farmers with their reliable information about their immediate
surroundings and scientists with their environmental data and technical findings
ought to work together to share their complementary knowledge. Through new
varieties and management techniques, scientists and farmers can develop
strategies for adapting to the local effects of climate change.
Farmers need to diversify production and cultivate breeds that survive
reasonably well in a broad range of circumstances and situations. Agricultural
researchers should breed crops, livestock and fish for tolerance to stresses
including heat, drought, insects and disease alongside improved land and water
management techniques.
Other adaptation practices include draining flooded rice fields at least once a
season to decrease methane emissions. Livestock producers can maintain fewer
but better-fed animal stocks, and even change the species and breeds they
raise. Agricultural emissions can be reduced through more judicious application
of nitrogen-based fertilizer, development of alternative fertilizer additives and use
of natural fertilizer such as manure and crop residues. Nitrogen-fixing crops such
as legumes can also mitigate run-off and emissions.
In addition, legal initiatives to attain climate justice and education reforms to raise
awareness of climate change issues are mitigation measures to lessen the
impact of climate change. A seldom-mentioned Philippine law is the 1997
Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (RA 8435), which mandates regular
monitoring of climate changes for the purpose of forecasting and formulating
agriculture and fisheries production programs. Likewise, policy initiatives on
climate change extends to cooperation efforts among concerned government
agencies, LGUs, NGOs and international organizations as carried out by the
National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council before and after the

catastrophe of the Super Typhoon Yolanda in the Visayas through, among others,
LGU preparedness plans, warning system, survival drills, provision of rescue
equipments, humanitarian assistance and relief missions. Other mitigation
initiatives relate to clean development mechanism and payment for
environmental services which are actually tools for greenhouse gas emission
reduction.
Be that as it may, it should be borne in mind that some strategies may decrease
greenhouse gas emissions while contributing to global warming in other ways.
For example, policies that disallow deforestation might increase emissions from
farming.
Changing the composition of livestock might minimize methane production but
increase carbon dioxide emissions through increased feed production. What is
needed is an integrated approach to the net effects of methane, nitrogen and
carbon emissions to assess the value of options available. It is also important to
know that adaptation and mitigation strategies, which strengthen resilience of
farmers to climate change are almost always mutually reinforcing. In that regard,
synergies between and among adaptation, mitigation, agriculture and food
security could be achieved through effective planning and implementation.
Fortunately, agriculture pushed by scientists has made its way into the climate
change agenda. That means provision of funds for climate change adaptation
and mitigation for agriculture and food security is well under way.

Building resilience: adaptation to climate

change
November29,20139:59pm

Adaptation is the adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual

or expected climatic conditions or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits
beneficial opportunities. It is a necessary strategy to complement any climate
change mitigation legislation in place.
Best practices abound on adaptation activities to cope with climate change risks.
In Bangladesh, floating vegetable gardens allow for seedlings to be grown when
land is flooded so that they are ready to plant out when the floodwater recedes.
Fish are reared in cages anchored in ponds created by monsoon rains when the
river is too fast flowing for fishing boats to go out. A variety of rice has been
planted that matures before the monsoon rains, and ponds are used for raising
ducks and fish. Ducks provide eggs for the market and are more resilient to
floods than chickens.
In Thailand, bamboo poles are used in beating back waves that slowly engulf
seaside communities. Properly spaced bamboo poles dampen the force of waves
and allow for a more natural exchange between the marine and freshwater
environments. Erecting bamboo screens made of thousands of poles driven into

the seabed has helped restore several hundred meters of land now planted with
mangrove saplings along the Gulf of Thailand coast as well as on the island of
Phuket.
Community resilience in Nepal through local knowledge, practices and
innovations to adapt to climate variability is worth notice too. To cope with water
scarcity, water conservation ponds are built during the monsoon and farmers use
water harvesting tanks to trap rainwater for use in the dry season.
Interesting are the Nepali improved crop storage systems. Farmers have been
making pits to store potatoes because pits help maintain cooler temperature
allowing the potatoes to last longer. Others protect their seeds from frost and cold
temperature by covering them with cloth and hanging them in safe places. Rice
and other cereals are stored in earthen vessels and kept on raised beds to
protect them from flooding. They are also raising the level of their houses and
cattle sheds to keep them safe during the monsoon floods.
In the Solomon Islands in the Pacific, there has been a transition in the types of
root crops people are planting. While in the past, they mainly planted yam and
taro which are harvested at different times of the year and can be stored for the
rainy season, people now are more focused on introduced root crops like sweet
potato and cassava which requires less labor as they grow in secondary forests
and can be harvested after only three months. It led to current interest at
producing banana chips as banana trees fare well under heavy rainfall and
processing is cheap and simple. There are now processing groups consisting of
women in banana chips production.
Against the backdrop of horrifying earthquakes, tsunamis, super typhoons and
storm surge consequences and amidst unprecedented global attention and
intense media coverage on climate change (as in the recently concluded UN
Climate Change Conference in Warsaw (Poland), the 2009 Philippine Climate
Change Law (RA 9729) (An Act mainstreaming climate change into government
policy formulations, establishing the framework strategy and program on climate
change, creating for the purpose the Climate Change Commission, and for other
purposes) is a most significant piece of climate change mitigation legislation that
needs public information and awareness as well as effective peoples
participation in its implementation and enforcement. In the meantime, the man
on the streets wants to know about adaptation to climate change.
The climate change adaptation practices mentioned above respond to urgent and
immediate adaptation needs, prioritizing the most vulnerable communities and
seek to build capacities on adaptation.
He authored numerous publications, contributed to many international
environmental law meetings and spearheaded the formulation of the first
environmental laws of the Philippines.

Pope Francis vis--vis earth stewards

August8,201512:34am

The earth does not belong to man. Man belongs to the earth . This we know:
Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the
web of life: he is merely a strand in it ..
Chief Seattle
AT long last, the Vatican released to the expectant world Pope Francis
environment encyclical Laudato Si. Encyclicals are considered the most
authoritative document a Pope can issue. This one is about the dire effects of
environmental degradation especially on the poor and urges the world to take
action on moral grounds.
The encyclical could at best be described as the Popes lament and call to action
for the earths protection and sustainability. It links environmental degradation
with economic and social justice aiming to connect environment very tightly to the
Churchs social teaching to give preferential treatment to the poor.
No one has written an encyclical focused on the environment before. For
analysts, this could be traced to the Popes Jesuit formation which reinforces the
idea that we are stewards of Gods creation and that God is somehow present in
all of creation. Therefore, we have a duty to look after the earth responsibly. In
that regard, Pope Francis should be credited for having added the religious/moral
dimension to an otherwise purely scientific, political, and economic issue and
concern.
Before the launch of Laudato Si, the Pope addressed a local group of
grassroots organizers in Rome saying that an economic system centered only on
money would .plunder nature to sustain frenetic levels of consumption.
Climate change, the loss of biodiversity, deforestation are already showing their
devastating effectsfrom which you, the humble, suffer the most.
Critics of the Popes message against the unbridled pursuit of profits by
businessmen, however, say that the free market, far from being the source of
inequality is the great engine that will pull the worlds poor out of misery.
While the Popes devotion to nature has a theological basis it also has an ethical
component based on who, in particular, is responsible for environmental
problems. But more than the issue of who is responsible is the dispute over the
idea that population control and contraception are the solutions to the planets
limited resources rather than curve the consumerist, wasteful behavior of the rich
and the privileged.
Be that as it may, the encyclical emphasizes that man is part of Gods creation
and therefore entitled to protection.

Pope Francis has won much admiration for his humility and reputation as a truthteller who speaks simply and plainly. He is the leader of a world-wide institution
with 1.2 billion members with no political interests to protect and no reelection
campaign to wage. Indeed, he is well positioned to win a debate on the issue of
how to steward the Earth.
But will the encyclical make an impact on Catholics worldwide who did not pay
attention to the environmental issues before?
No religion in the world could be identified as against protection of the
environment from the effects of climate change. Buddhism is known to respect
and hold sacred anything that has life trees, species of fauna, etc. In Islam,
man is Al Khalifa (The Steward). His role on earth is to act as Gods steward, and
trustee of the bounties of the earth. Even faith-based organizations like the
Evangelicals and Baptist faiths have been exceptional leaders working on climate
change.
Hopefully, Pope Francis Laudato Si would lead to a united inter-faith response
to make a case for climate change and urge everyone to take action on moral
grounds. After all, we are the Earths Stewards.
*Ambassador Amado Tolentino lectures at San Beda Alabang School of Law and
continues to write about environmental issues.

Nowadays: internally displaced persons

November14,201411:25pm

DEVELOPING and protecting rights as part of the efforts to safeguard the

environment, attain sustainable development and alleviate poverty and
inequalities is a current concern in many parts of the world. This was brought
about by the grand-scale and unprecedented phenomenon of environmental
refugees as a consequence of natural disasters and unnatural ones like armed
conflicts.
Among basic human rights, the right to life and dignity intrinsically tied to the right
to an ecologically and humanly viable environment, is lately most written about,
discussed and dissected. It is a big issue vis-a-vis climate justice and the future
generations of environmental refugees who cross national borders and internally
displaced persons who leave their homes or places of abode and move to
another place within their own country. Environmental refugees in the Philippine
archipelago are commonly referred to as internally displaced persons. (In some
Pacific island states most vulnerable to sea level rise, people prefer to be called
climate migrants).
Be it noted that climate change itself does not directly affect human rights.
Rather, global warming causes environmental change which in turn affects
human rights. Neither the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change nor its
Kyoto Protocol includes any provision concerning specific assistance for those

who will be directly affected by the effects of climate change. The Convention
Relating to the Status of Refugees, on the other hand, applies to those
persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality or membership in a particular
racial or political group. As the Refugee Convention is not applicable to climatechange-displaced-people at the moment, those persons deserve to get legal
identity through the legal system of each country.
The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Philippines has
tremendously increased in the last few years due to conflicts and natural
disasters like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, typhoons, storm surges,
landslides, oil spills, etc. This year, it was reported that 11 million Filipinos were
displaced by calamities due to, among others, typhoons (Glenda, Henry, Luis and
Mario) which caused floods, landslides and monsoon rains that reached some
parts of Luzon; the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck the islands of Bohol
and part of Cebu; and Typhoon Yolanda in November 2013 which claimed lives,
property and crops. Likewise, it was reported that the number of IDPs affected by
the on-going conflict between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Muslim
secessionist groups reached 500,000. Add to that the IDPs, mostly Muslim
residents of Zamboanga including Badjaos, indigenous people dependent on the
sea for livelihood, who fled their communities when armed men from a faction of
the Moro National Liberation Front went into Zamboanga City in an attempt to
occupy the place. After a year, they remain displaced, accommodated in the city
sports center in temporary makeshift shelters.
In Southeast Asia, the Philippines ranks third after Myanmar and Indonesia as a
country with the most number of IDPs and among the top forty (40) countries
where internal displacement is considered a significant new phenomenon.
To meet the challenges posed by internally displaced persons, a bill is pending
before the 16th Congress of the Philippines to protect their rights (HR Bill No.
00239). This legal initiative would not only help the country to manage
unexpected displacement but also reduce overall climate change vulnerabilities.
The proposal encompasses the protection of IDPs during and after displacement
as well as their resettlement, relocation and re-integration. It is about giving them
access to basic necessities like shelter, food and clean water; guaranteeing their
freedom of movement and family unity; providing them facilities for good health
and education; as well as protecting their property and possessions.
Contemplated also are the rights to essential medicine and sanitation; the right of
expectant mothers and newborns; the right of persons with disabilities; the right
to family reunification; the right of protection against criminals; the right to
communication including access to information and communication in a language
they understand; and the right to express grievances.
In this connection, the lawmakers should look into extending assistance to
workers and officers of foreign humanitarian groups, especially in the matter of
their access to damaged areas, easing restrictions on entry of their relief goods,
etc.

If approved by Congress and signed into law by the President, the law will be the
first in Asia and serve as a model for countries facing similar issues of
displacement and violation of peoples rights as the government is unable to
serve the general welfare of its constituents. Most important of all, it will help
promote the human rights-based approach to disaster risk reduction and
management.
After his engagement with the Philippine diplomatic corps, former Ambassador
Amado S. Tolentino. Jr. resumed his environmental law consultancy work with
UNEP. Currently, he lectures on environmental law and writes for law journals
and other publications. He is on the Advisory Board of the Asia-Pacific Center for
Environmental Law (APCEL), Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore.

Seeking fresh water in times of climate

change crisis
April29,201611:53pm

Water is a far more pressing problem than climate

change. Even if climate wouldnt change, we have
a water problem and this water problem is much
more urgent..
Peter Brabeck
AT the dawn of the 21st century, it was touted that 2001 marks the first year of
the century of water. The idea, however, was overtaken by dramatic changes in
climate throughout the world that many thought climate is the biggest problem
and nothing else matters. Thus, in the meantime, the looming global water
shortage got far less attention than global warming.
According to the United Nations, one reason water receives less attention is that
unlike global warming, there is no such thing as a global water crisis. Instead,
there are a series of regional predicaments in a world where the distribution of
water is so lopsided that 60 percent of it is found in just nine countries including
Brazil, the US and Canada.
As a chemical compound, nothing could be simpler than water. Two atoms of
hydrogen joined to one of oxygen equals water. And, there is no shortage of
water on planet Earth, which is covered by water but more than 97 percent is
salty. The shortage is of fresh water to grow crops, drinking and sanitation water
for households and to cool power plants.
In the past, military conflict over water rights was a grave national security issue
between some countries: Ethiopia and Egypt over the Nile; Botswana and
Namibia over the Okavango; Israel, Palestine and Jordan over the Jordan River,
to mention a few.

Water from rivers in those countries cross political boundaries with the
concomitant boundary issue. Be that as it may, the situation created a natural
interdependence between countries in sharing the water resource, drawing
people to work together on the water availability aspect even when countries
were officially at war.
Perhaps, water wars were averted at that time due to the changing perception
of the concept of permanent sovereignty over natural resources in favor of
functional sovereignty or equitable utilization of transboundary shared resources.
But in the light of the recent changed political and security environment, could
peaceful negotiation over water issues still hold on for a much longer time?
Figure out the following: (i) Chinas damming the source of water of the Mekong
River has sparked serious concern among countries downstream namely
Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam; (ii) India, China and Pakistan
see rising tensions over shared water resources to boost production to keep up
with their huge and expanding populations; (iii) A growing sense of alarm in
Central Asia over the prospect that poor but glacier-heavy nations (Tajikistan,
Kyrgyzstan) may one day restrict the flow of water to their parched but oil-rich
neighbors (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan); (iv) Ultimate peace
between Pakistan and India may hinge as much on water as on nuclear weapons
for the two countries must share the glacier-dependent Indus.
The limited supply of freshwater must meet the needs of a human population that
has tripled in the last century and continues to grow at almost 80 million every
year. Right now, there is a torrent of water-related news concerning the dry spell
brought about by the drought effect of El Nio, the declaration of state of calamity
in specified areas due to lack of adequate water supply and a decline in
agricultural production on account of scarcity of water for agriculture.
Based on numerous studies, including those done by the Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA) and confirmed by a UNICEF-WHO report, 8.4 million
Filipinos have no access to clean drinking water. The major reason for freshwater
scarcity in the Philippines is pollution from industries, households, tourism sites
and agricultural areas. Industries use a wide range of chemicals, many of which
are highly toxic and find their way to natural water systems. Wastewater from
households follow the same route to natural water channels like run-offs of
agricultural chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides.
A UNDP report further mentioned that the Metro Manila main underground
aquifer is so over pumped that groundwater levels have considerably dropped to
critical levels. This has induced saline water to encroach into coastal zones and
threaten Marikina Valley and places along the Laguna Lake region. Once again,
water rationing plans are on board in Metro manila.
Even the Rainwater Collection Facilities and Spring Water Protection Law (1989),
which mandates construction of water wells, rainwater collectors, development of

springs, rehabilitation of existing water wells in all barangays in the Philippines,

remains in the books, largely unimplemented.
The solution to water scarcity is largely in the hands of governments because it
requires policies such as better and effective regulation of groundwater, irrigation
and more intelligent use of wastewater. Among Asean countries, Thailand
adopted a policy to minimize use of water by not growing off-season rice as a
response to the gravity of the drought situation. Water has to be conserved for
household consumption. Farmers switched to drought-resistant crops such as
beans or raising livestock. Others resorted to raising poultry or farming shallowwater fish in baskets. Many rice farmers have also joined government-sponsored
employment schemes such as working on irrigation canal dredging projects,
which generate more than 40,000 jobs nationwide.
With the recent formal signing at the UN Headquarters in New York by 171
countries of the Paris Agreement on reduction of greenhouse gas emission,
water scarcity has come of age as a forefront issue. As countries actively
pursue major actions like a shift to renewable energy sources (solar, wind,
biomass, hydropower, etc.) to stop the devastating impacts of climate change, it
is now the time for action to set the pathway that will lead to a far-reaching effort
to meet the challenges posed by the most precious but finite resource on Earth
fresh water.
Ambassador Amado Tolentino, Jr. continues with his engagement as a member
of the Asociacion Internacional de Derecho de Aguas (Rome).