The planting of ornamental plants will be discouraged; edible plants will be promoted instead.
The seemingly radical change — a plan for now — is not so far-out if the Climate Change Commission (CCC) will have its way.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is now ready to require government agencies to cultivate edible plants and not ornamentals, CCCC commissioner Albert Dela Cruz said yesterday at the Laging Handa public briefing.
These are among the out-of-the-box changes the government wants to put in place.
Dela Cruz, for example, pointed to Bermuda grass as one culprit in the consumption of a lot of precious water that is becoming scarce. The water should be used for the cultivation of edible plants and vegetables, he said.
By 2030, all government agencies will use electric vehicles. And all government building will have solar rooftops, he said, adding the same “should be done by all, including schools and churches. We owe it to the next generation.”
The idea is to transition from the use of fossil fuel that generates carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases that leads to global warming, Dela Cruz said.
Local governments need to pass ordinances requiring local climate change action plans, with the appropriate climate change officers, desks and offices down to the barangay level.
The same should be true with provincial governments, and even in schools and industries.
Big companies, malls and business establishments should also have in-house industry climate change officers. This will provide a whole-of-nation and whole-of-community approach in mitigating the impact of climate change, Dela Cruz said.
Climate change is happening now, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
The Philippines, PAGASA said, has experienced increasing temperatures like the rest of the world. From 1951 to 2010, an increase of 0.648º Celsius or an average of 0.0108º C per year has been observed in the country, it says.
During the last 60 years, maximum and minimum daytime and night time temperatures have increased by 0.36º C and 1.0°C, respectively.
Analysis of trends of tropical cyclone occurrence or passage within the so-called Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) show that an average of 20 tropical cyclones form and/or cross the PAR per year. The trend shows a high variability over the decades but there is no indication of increase in the frequency, PAGASA saids.
However, there is a very slight increase in the number of tropical cyclones with maximum sustained winds of greater than 150 kilometers per hour and above (typhoon category) being exhibited during El NiÑo event, as predicted by PAGASA this year.
