TACLOBAN CITY- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is strengthening its campaign against climate change as it urges local leaders and people living in the communities to do their share in protecting the already fragile condition of Mother Earth. Climate change was blamed for the series of weather changes that causes destruction of properties and deaths. The occurrence of Yolanda (international name: Haiyan), the world’s strongest typhoon on record to ever make landfall, was blamed to climate change. DENR Executive Regional Director Leonardo Sibbaluca said that climate change is now a reality that poses threats to mankind. Climate change, according to him, started with the discovery by the scientists that the hardened snow coming from the Antarctica and Greenland are now melting. Thus, it resulted to sea-level rise and the Philippines, as an archipelago, is one of the countries that was directly affected with the melting snows. “The best way to avoid these threats is to lessen the emissions of greenhouse gases and we are encouraging the local government units to enforce these down to their barangays,” Sibbaluca said. The DENR spearheaded a press conference on June 24 highlighting the effects of climate change. This year’s theme is “Nagbabago na ang Panahon. Panahon Na para Magbago.” Also present during the press conference was the officer-in-charge of the regional office of the Philippine Information Agency, Virgilio Galvez, who is also the deputy director general of said agency and other officials of the DENR. (DESSA MAE CASTRO, LNU Intern)
