One Goal: Education for All

Friday, June 22, 2007

INSIGHTS ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

My memories are still vivid upon my first encounter with the concepts such as global warming and greenhouse effect. I was just in elementary then, being raised in a public school, the concepts are really vague in my appreciation. I do not seem to fantasize and spend my imagination about these environmental issues.
Nowadays, we notice several changes in the environment like weather, temperature, humidity and other natural occurrences. Since the start of the new millennium we have been inundated with all the latest forecast about the atmospheric changes.
These atmospheric highlights exposed me once again to the concepts of global warming and greenhouse effect. Alliances between countries is observed to combat this alarming situation of our environment. Write ups after write ups comprised most journals, magazines and newspapers to call attention in saving the environment. National leaders, environmental advocates and other concerned social figures could be seen on national television lecturing on how to protect the environment. This prevailing scenario express urgency and alarm to each and every thinking creature on this earth.
I am not writing for us to find out the major culprit in this environmental concerns that we are facing. I am writing for us to reflect on thoughts that are not new to us but neglected maybe because we have so much baggages. I also want to remind us about one thing that I believe most of us overlooked because we are so presumptuous.
I consider my self a social animal. I love places surrounded by people like jeepneys, cafeteria, market place, malls and other places where I could have the freedom to listen to people's expression of their ideas.
During the alarming "emergence" of the global warming and its consequences I was given the privilege to observe a number of reactions from listeners, viewers and readers. Fortunately, I was able to converse with a handful of them. Here are some of their possible reactions:
  • caught their attention at first then immediately went back to their lives;
  • gave an inquisitive look;
  • if the media is not on their language they don't seem to care;
  • gives a comment like "iba na talaga ang panahon"; or
  • does not care at all
I don't want to be conclusive to the point of saying that the "common" people do not care with what is going on in the environment. Going back to my previous encounter with the words global warming, there is ambiguity. I believe media is not enough to educate people on the regarding the danger that the environment is going through which will eventually affect humankind. But this is not just the case there is a greater panic that should greatly alarm us.
One of the ways proposed as a combative measure is Proper Waste Management. Campaigns on waste segregation is all around. Many of us are familiar with the words reduce, re-use, recycle and composting. As an evidence, some places, for instance here in Baguio City, the government installed trash cans with corresponding label to manage the waste. Surprisingly, I seem to notice that people, I hope not everybody, cannot manage the trash at all. Every time I walk along Session Road I really look through the trash cans and to my amazement you will never observe the difference among and between the trash cans with respective labels.
These I cannot confine in my thoughts. Sometimes, I see that the case is really fathomless. The trash cans alone conveys a message and the user of this vessel is supposedly a thinking creature. How do advocates expect results in alleviating the environmental condition if "simple" task are overlooked by many? Lucky are we in Baguio because we are in a mountainous area but this does not mean we are spared from the consequences of the global warming. All of us, not even one will be spared, will be victims of these massive atmospheric alteration.

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