“Can you imagine the world without water?”
This was one of the questions posed at a Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Advocacy Forum entitled, “ Nagbabago na ang Panahon, Panahon na para Magbago,” (The time [climate] is changing, it is time to change), held on November 14, 2014 at the Marian Theater of St. Paul U. The forum was an initiative of the Environmental Communication Class, handled by Leonard Pineda of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), a government unit that is actively involved in promoting ways to mitigate climate change in the country. High school students from Iloilo City participated in the forum.
High School students are challenged to reconsider the way they use water and consume food.
Experts and officials from the PIA, represented by PIA Regional Director Atty. Ma. Janet Mesa and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), represented by Dr. Alicia Lustica, shared their knowledge and expertise with the participants. Both exhorted the students to reconsider their roles as stewards of the planet and rethink their lifestyles. To concretize these, the students were asked to calculate their carbon footprints and were made aware how their actions may contribute to climate change.
Leonard asked the students to think how they use water and consume food. Mitigating climate change starts with simple steps, just by examining how each one consumes basic resources, such as food and water.
“What is your carbon footprint?”