SAVE MOTHER EARTH

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20080317-125163/Join-worldwide-lights-out-Filipinos-urged

Join worldwide lights-out, Filipinos urged
By Jocelyn Uy
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 06:14:00 03/17/2008

MANILA, Philippines—Save the Earth. Turn off your lights for a full hour on March 29.
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-Philippines is encouraging every Filipino household to switch off their lights and electrical gadgets when the “Earth Hour” strikes at 8 p.m. on the 29th as a way of joining global efforts to address climate change.

To manifest the country’s participation in the global movement, a portion of well-lit Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City will be plunged into darkness simultaneously with Sydney, Toronto, Chicago, Copenhagen and 28 other cities across the world, said the environmental group.

“Earth Hour is about awareness-raising and empowering people to make a difference, while aiming for a 5-percent reduction in power usage,” said Gregg Yan, WWF-Philippines information and communication officer.

The global movement was first launched in Australia on March 31, 2007, moving 2.2 million people and 2,100 business establishments in Sydney to shut off all the lights for one hour.

Even Sydney’s famous landmarks such as the Harbor Bridge and Opera House descended into darkness.

Yan said the collective effort reduced the city’s energy consumption by 10.2 percent, which had the equivalent effect of taking 48,000 cars off the road for an hour.

Citing the Filipino’s distinctive bayanihan (cooperative) spirit, the group was hopeful that the country would accomplish the same feat. It warned that the country’s 7,107 islands were exposed to rising sea levels and unpredictable weather patterns brought about by climate change.

“Throughout the Philippines, the idea is snowballing—with e-mails circulating and promulgating the concept to as far as Tawi-Tawi,” Yan said.

Meanwhile, Bernarditas Muller, a senior negotiator of the Philippine government on climate change, called on national leaders to train their attention to drawing up adaptation measures in relation to climate change.

Muller, in a dialogue with the media on Thursday, said the government must not concentrate on efforts to mitigate climate change because “it is already here.”

“We can no longer do anything to stop it because it is already happening,” she said.

Muller suggested that the government instead work for an efficient public transport system if it wants Filipinos to cut back on their use of cars to lessen greenhouse gas emissions.

She also noted that since the Philippines is surrounded by water, the government should seriously consider the zoning of flood-prone and coastal areas.