• Today, I attended a Forum on "Biodiversity and Climate Change" held at the auditorium of the National Institute of Geological Sciences. It was conducted on the occasion of the 2007 International Day for Biodiversity. With me was Hermes Dorado, our Chairman of the Board.
  
  We attended the forum as coping with climate change is one of GSI's corporate social responsibility pillars and a component of the company's Strategic Program named "Modernizing the Philippine Archipelagic State 2015".
  
  Dr Ed Listanco, Director of NIGS opened the forum by situating climate change based on geological perspective and the anthropogenic cause of climate change.
  
  A paper on "Climate Change and Biodiversity" written by Dr A.C. Alcala of SUAKCREM, Siliman University was distributed. The highlights of the paper are :

1. Climate Change is not a new Phenomenon

• at the peak of the ice age 20,000 years ago, the sea levels was 100-120 meters lower than what it is now as large as volumes of water were held in ice
• The earth slowly warmed resulting to rise of sea level. The present sea level was reached 6,000 years ago
• The carbon dioxide concentrations fluctuated in past but the trend in rise has been dramatic during the period of 1900 to 2000 AD.

2. Natural Causes of Climate Change

• continental drift
• volcanic eruption
• earth's tilt
• comets and meteorites
• ocean currents

2. Human-induced causes

• use of fossil fuels
• deforestation
• human activities that increase production of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases

In less than 300 years since the industrial revolution, humans have burned a
large amount of oil, gas, and coal as source of energy. According to the
conclusion of climatologist, the primary reason for rapid changes in
temperature, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases is human use of fossil
fuels.

3. Effects/Manifestations of Climate Change

• Trapped heat from the sun and increased temperatures on ground and oceans
• Heavy rainfalls in some areas and droughts in others
• Glaciers melts and spring comes earlier
• Rise in ocean levels and salt water intrusion into land
• Changes in ocean circulation
• Permanent stratification of ocean waters
• Changes in weather patterns

4. Quantitative Measurements of Changes

• Total global temperature change since 19th century is 0.6 degree C
• CO2 concentration in atmosphere before industrial era (1750) was 280 ppm +/- ppm
• CO2 concentration was 367 ppm in 1999, 377 ppm in 2004
• 280 ppm was exceeded during the past 420,000 yrs and not within the past 20 million years
• Oceans absorb about 1/3 of human-induced CO2, uptake declines with absorption

5. Experts' Predictions/Conclusions

• Possible rise in global temperature could be from 1.4 degrees C to 5.8 degrees C by 2100
• Large climate related impacts predicted, for example, hurricanes and typhoons would increase in severity
• End of Ice Age, the disappearance of Glacial Ice in the North Pole
• It will take centuries for CO2 level to come down to the pre-industrial level of 280 ppm from the 377 ppm today
• With more CO2 absorbed by oceans, efficiency of building calcium carbonate skeletons by marine organisms is lessened/prevented, thus could lead to extinctions
  

6. What are we to do?

• Change energy consumption patterns
• Increase sequestration of CO2 already in the atmosphere by implementing Kyoto Protocol, reforestation of denuded lands, protection of the 20,000 sq km coral reefs, restore 500,000 has of mangrove forests
• Protect remaining forests
• Adopt measures to increase soil storage of rain water
• Conserve natural marshes
• Avoid reclamation in coastal areas and building structures on reclaimed areas which are vulnerable to rising sea levels
• Strenthen foundations of buildings in reclaimed areas to decrease risk to sea level rise and coastal erosion
  I have attached a program showing the list of other speakers.
  A plenary discussion followed and I asked two questions
  
• 1) Is CDM a priority strategy considering that the Philippines is not a major contributor to CO2 emission? Should we be more focused on adaptive measures to sea level rise?
  
• 2.) Considering that Philippines is an archipelago, should we now make an inventory of our islands before they are drowned by the sea level rise? Indonesia is doing it now before it is too late. Hermes mentioned the strategic importance of island inventory as it is the basis of the country's boundary lines.
  Finally, a 14-point Forum Resolution was formulated which will be posted on pvpnetwork.net for comments. I look forward that we will all read the resolution and submit our own reviews and recommendations.
  
  

Labels: Climate Change, Corporate Social Responsibility, Dr Alcala, Dr Listanco pvpnetwork, GeoSpatial Solutions, Hermes Dorado, net

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