Accessible and Safe Water for All on Blog Action Day 2010

According to World Health Organization, every year there are 1.4 million reported child mortality because of water related diseases like diarrhea, most this cases happens in developing countries in Asia and Africa. The main reason of those reported death is because of most of the people on this nations doesn’t have access on clean and safe water.

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The United Nations declares 2005-2015 as International Decade for Action on Water for Life, putting importance on water and how it will affect on the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goal at the same time this is our 2010 Blog Action Day to put emphasize on water as basic and important to the lives of everyone. Mentioning the UN MDG, water plays a vital role on the 4 Goals, (MDG 1) Eradication of Hunger and Poverty, (MDG 4) Reduce Child Mortality, (MDG 6) Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases and (MDG 7) Ensure Environmental Sustainability.

In our campaign to achieve the MDGs 1, 4 and 6, water plays a very important role, in Africa children and women who are basically front liners of hunger were forced to bring a water container in their back which weighs more than their weights in order to bring home safe water for their family. But because of the scourging heat of the sun and long walk, some of them end up drinking unsafe water that leads to waterborne diseases and leads to their death because even medical help can hardly reach them. Africa is one of the developing nations that are suffering of safe water scarcity. In the International Decade Action for Water for Life, Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General give emphasize on the importance of sanitation in regards to water. "Access to sanitation is deeply connected to virtually all the Millennium Development Goals, in particular those involving the environment, education, gender equality and the reduction of child mortality and poverty" he says.

In the Human Development Report 2006 of the United Nation Development Programme, in 2006 there’s only 62% of world population has access to improved sanitation which includes clean water, but the sad part is on the 2015 even we reach the half of sanitation in the MDG Target 10 there is still 1.7 billion people without access of basic sanitation. When we talk about sanitation in water as our campaign for the MDGs 4, 6 and 7, water doesn’t only thirst quencher, but it connects to human hygiene, as mention in the International Decade Action on Water for Life, they emphasized on water as basic and improved sanitation.

Connecting Water and Sanitation, we end up on one of the major reason why water became unsafe and hinders the achievement of sustainable environment. Water pollution is the product of human irresponsibility. Human throws their waste on the water and pollutes it with chemicals, in the end water like seas and rivers as basic source of food can no longer sustain our needs. Sometimes, those chemicals and garbage thrown in the sea and rivers blocks the flow of water, we Filipinos saw the wrath of Ondoy and Pepeng that kills hundreds and leaves thousands homeless.

Sometimes we missed the basics and sometimes we see it not that important because it is not popular as it not shown on headlines on media. Water is a basic human need, but most of us don’t give importance on the conservation and preservation of water. Sadly, for countries who neglect it, doesn’t see how it is precious more than gold in other countries that is facing drought and kills each other just to have water. Let Blog Action Day on Water, be an eye opener along with the campaigns of UNICEF, WWF, GreenPeace, UNDP, WFP and other NGOs that water conservation and preservation is now, not tomorrow neither next month and next year.

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Blog Action Day ’09: Let our voices be heard by the world up to the Copenhagen Summit!

Ang laban natin sa usapin ng Climate Change ay hindi natatapos hanggang may isang nanahimik at walang pakialam, ang climate change ay hindi para sa isang tao lamang at sa mga advocates nito kundi para sa lahat. Nakita na natin nang ulit ang hagupit ng bagyo na hindi natin inaakalang makakapagdala ng malaking suliranin sa bansa, may mga nawalan ng bahay, pangarap at buhay. Nakita rin natin kung paano tumaas ang tubig at mas nakita natin kung paano naging pabaya ang mga tao pagdating sa basura, parte ito ng suliranin natin sa solid waste management na nagpapadagdag sa masamang epekto ng climate change na kung saan malalakas na ulan ang dinadala dito sa Pilipinas sa panahong ito kahit sa panahon ng tag-araw.

In-denial at apathy ito ang sakit ng karamihan na kung saan ang bawat araw na hindi natin pagkilos para solusyunan ang problema sa solid waste management, misuse of energy, deforestation, at tahasang carbon emission sa mga factory, sasakyan at kahit sa simpleng panununog ng mga plastic ay nakakaepekto sa kalikasan. Naging lax ang tao sa issue ng kalikasan na kung saan tulad ng linyang “Garbage in, Garbage out” nakita natin it okay Ondoy at Pepeng, kung ano ang pinakawalan nating basura sa tubig, hangin at lupa ay siyang babalik sa atin para maningil. Sa interview ko kay Amalie Obusan ng Greenpeace Philippines na isang omen si Ondoy na kung saan nagdala ito ng malakas na pag ulan na kung saan hindi pa nararanasan ng bansa noon dahil ito sa epekto ng climate change na kung saan ang dating nakasanayan natin sa klima ay nagbabago na at minsan nagiging mas mapanira na. Sinang ayunan ito ng Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan ng WWF Philippines at ayon sa kanya nakikita na natin ang epekto ng climate change sa pamamagitan ng mga bagyong darating sa bansa at mga pagbabago ng klima sa buong mundo.

Watch the video I did for Blog Action Day:



Pandora’s box, ito ang paglalarawan ni Lory sa usapin ng climate change na kung saan naging pabaya ang mga tao sa kalikasan na kung saan nariyan ang walang pakundangang pagtatapon ng basura kahit saan, ang mga maiitim na usok mula sa pabrika at mga sasakyan na taliwas sa pinapatupad ngayon na Clean Air Act sa bansa, at ang malawakang pagkakalbo ng mga bundok na kung saan marami na ang nasawi dahil sa landslide.

Ngayong December 7, magsasama sama ang lahat ng mga world leaders para sa tinatawag na United Nation Climate Summit o mas kilala sa Copenhagen Summit para talakayin nila ang usapin ng climate change at ang pagkakaroon ng policy na pangalagaan ang kalikasan, at ang usapin nito ay involve ang economy ng mga bansang nakadepende ang kanilang ekonomiya sa paggamit ng fossil fuels na major contributor ng carbon emission na nagcacause ng climate change. Pero kung maaalala natin noong 2000 ay nagkaroon ng United Nations Millennium Summit at nagkaroon ng 8 Millennium Development Goals na pinag usapan at binuo ang 189 world leaders kabilang ang pinakamakapangyahiran at mayamang bansa na United States of America hanggang sa pinaka poorest na bansa na South Africa, kabilang din ang Pilipinas dito. Pang- 7 sa MDGs ay “To ensure environmental sustainability” na kung saan sa katotohanan ay directly involve ang usapin ng climate change dito, at tulad ng isang domino na nakatayo ay may epekto rin ito sa iba pang MDGs ng UN, tulad ng eradication of poverty na kung saan sa pamamagitan ng kalamidad ay nakakaepekto ito direkta sa mga taong biktima ditto, ang universal education na kung saan maraming nasirang gamit sa paaralan at mismong mga schools, reduce child mortality, maternal health and combat diseases na kung saan dahil sa mga extreme weather events na nagdudulot ng pagbaha ay nagiging dahilan ng mga water borne diseases like diarrhea, malaria and dengue that causes death of children especially those in the age of 5 below, and also for women.

There are only 3 things I wanted to push this year in participation with Blog Action Day’09: 1, Let us demand for our leaders to participate actively on the December 6’s Copenhagen Summit and commit themselves for the benefit of the fellow men, 2, Climate Change is a topic that we don’t always see in the news, let education starts from us by means of sharing our ideas and opinions to others what’s the use of our blogs if we don’t give a space for this kind of social relevant topics, 3. And lastly, big things starts from small things let the change starts from us, lets actively participate in forums, in seminars, in tree planting and civic environmental events and more let the conservation and proper energy management starts from us and lets practice proper waste management. The battle on climate change doesn’t stop by blogging today, it doesn’t end at the Copenhagen, but it is just the beginning of our commitment with Mother Nature, to the Earth, the only earth where we are living.

Watch the video interview of Amalie Obusan of Greenpeace Philippines
Watch the video interview of Lory Tan of WWF Philippines

#BAD09: Lory Tan of WWF discusses people’s participation in combat against #ClimateChange

Ito ang pangalawang beses ko makausap ang Chief Executive Officer ng WWF Philippines na si Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan, una ay para sa advocacy section ng Filipino Voices, at ngayon para naman sa Blog Action Day 2009 in relation with Climate Change.

Nakilala ang WWF pagdating sa kanilang active participation sa energy conservation awareness campaign na Earth Hour, isang kampanya na karaniwang ginagawa tuwing month ng March at ang paraan ng participation ay sa pamamagitan ng pagpatay sa loob na 60 minutes, at last year nanguna ang bansa pagdating sa kampanyang ito. Pero sa kabila ng participation ng mga tao ay hinihiling ni Lory na hindi lang hanggang dun ang pagkilos na dapat gawin ng tao, kundi patuloy dapat ang kampanya ng pagmoderate ng tao sa pag gamit ng energy lalo na ng kuryente.

Ayon kay Lory na tulad ng sinabi ni Amalie Obusan ng Greenpeace Philippines ay isang babala ang pananalanta ng bagyong Ondoy at Pepeng sa bansa na kung saan nagdulot ng malakas na pag ulan at pagbaha sa bansa. At ayon sa kanya ang major contribution ng Climate Change ay paggamit ng fossil fuels na nagca-cause ng malaking volume of carbon emission that causes climate change.

Narito ang video ng aming conversation na naganap noong October 10.




Quoting Lory’s statement regarding Pandora’s box na inugnay nya sa issue ng environment, ayon sa kanya we need to shut down the box and find the solutions regarding the evil that came out from the box, simple lang ang interpretation ko at iyon ang pakikibahagi ng tao sa mga usapin ng climate change, ang solid waste management na isa sa mga advocacy ko at ang pagtutok natin sa usapin ng deforestation, ang usapin ng climate change ay hindi lamang isapin ng WWF o ng Greenpeace kundi usapin natin ang lahat, we only have one Earth to live at yun ang tandaan natin lahat.

Blog Action Day ’09: We can still win this fight on #Climate Change! – Amalie Obusan, Greenpeace

Full of hope, ito ang message ni Amalie Conchelle Hamoy-Obusan ang Climate and Energy Campaigner ng Greenpeace Southeast Asia matapos ang aming discussion last October 7 sa office ng Greenpeace Philippines sa Quezon City bilang parte sa 3-part post/campaign ko on Climate Change para sa Blog Action Day 2009.

Nakilala ang Greenpeace pagdating sa kanilang mga active participation sa mga environmental issues, sila ang tinaguriang mga aktibista at palaban tuwing pinag uusapan ang mga concerns sa kalikasan at ito ang proud na sinabi ni Amalie na kung nasaan ang Greenpeace sa ganitong usapan. Bukod sa pakikibahagi nila sa mga protesta ay parte rin ang Greenpeace pagdating sa mga paggawa ng mga policy at mga batas na nilalapit nila sa kongreso, kabilang dito ang clean air act, solid waste management system act at renewable energy law.

Pagdating sa usapan ng climate change ayon kay Amalie na kung saan naibahagi na nila sa kanilang website na ang pagdating ni Tyhpoon Ondoy (Ketsana) ay isang omen, “If you look on climate change studies, you can see climate change is here and science in undeniable” ito ang diretsuhan na sinabi ni Amalie nang sinabi niyang may pagbabagong naganap na dahil tulad ni Ondoy na kung saan nagdala ng maraming ulan na kung saan hindi naman naeencounter noon, at ayon sa kanya parte ito ng climate change at dahil sa climate change marami pang darating na mga “extreme” weather events na haharapin natin at kailangan solusyunan na ito.

The video below is the complete discussion/interview with Amalie of Greenpeace.



As I quoted the documentary of Age of Stupidity: “why didn't we stop climate change while we had the chance?” the question lies in our hands and our will to reduce the (mis)use of energy and our carbon emission.