PH gov’t should lead way in phasing out fossil fuel

A firefighter kicks at a log while helping to build a containment line at a fire near Bodalla, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020. (Photo by RICK RYCROFT / AP)

MANILA, Philippines — For environmental group Haribon Foundation, the government should lead the way in phasing out fossil fuel and scale up climate action in the country following the bushfires that continue to rage across Australia.

In a statement, Haribon veteran forester Thaddeus Martinez on Friday urged the government to look beyond the short-term benefits of fossil fuel for economic development.

“It is not just the economic production supported by this power generation that needs to be examined, but also the impacts on us,” he said

“Renewable energy power generation will be more appropriate,” Martinez suggested.

Martinez added that the bushfires, which burned many hectares of land in Australia, should serve as an example to lessen the use of coal plants and coal-mining operations.

This was to avoid adding forest fires to the list of growing hazards the Philippines, which is “one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change,” must face.

“If the people who are seated in government are the ones advocating for these coal-fired power plants, what is the return for us?” Martinez asked.

He said that although the country is not facing risks of having bush fires like Australia’s, Martinez added that “global warming could increase the occurrences of small forest fires that would have devastating impacts on ecosystems and nearby communities.”

Martinez said that around 90 percent of all forest fires in the country are caused by human activities.

The most common is the kaingin, or slashing-and-burning of forests to create more agricultural lands, Martinez said.

This practice is considered illegal under the Forestry Reform Code of 1975.

He then cited that the Cordilleras and the Zambales Mountains as two of the sites in the country that are most prone to forest fires, saying that around 797 hectares of forestlands were destroyed from January to March 2019 in the Cordilleras due to kaingin. This caused nearly P21 million in damage.

“Maybe there are some social aspects that we need to look at. Why are some people deliberately causing the fire? It’s not only the natural causes, but it’s anthropogenic as well,” Martinez said.

He then highlighted the need to empower local authorities to protect forests, as well as encouraging people to educate themselves on forest-related laws, as well as the impacts of climate change and the use of fossil fuel.