With odd climate, experts suggest altering lifestyles

MANILA, Philippines—Seeds are sown during the rainy season, then yield a bounty three months later. Classes start in June and students look forward to a hot summer break come March. Sweaters go on sale as Christmastime nears, then are tucked away in the closet for most of the year.

Imagine a world where all these predictable cycles no longer apply.

With extreme weather conditions now baffling scientists and posing a challenge to policy makers, it’s probably time to reexamine traditional notions about the country’s weather patterns—and ultimately, their influence on the Filipinos’ way of life.

A government scientist on Monday broached the idea as Malacañang called for a “multi-stakeholder” convention to be held later this month to come up with an effective, consolidated response to natural calamities.

“Climate uncertainty is now more of the rule rather than the exception,” said Undersecretary Graciano Yumul of the Department of Science and Technology.

According to Yumul, convention participants—who will include representatives of local and international nongovernment organizations—would be expected to share “radical” ideas addressing concerns like coastal management, food security, health, infrastructure, work schedules and school calendars.

Lessons no longer applicable

It’s probably time to rewrite school textbooks and update content dealing with the climate and the weather with discussions on global warming, Yumul added.

“What we used to teach before is not necessarily applicable now,” said the official, who also teaches at the University of the Philippines.

Yumul said local governments, backed by the national government, should come up with their respective measures to cushion the impact of climate change.

“The (current) El Niño event in the Philippines is supposed to be dry,” Yumul noted, referring to the weather phenomenon that is known to cause droughts in Southeast Asia. “But we are very, very wet.”

APEC outlook

He cited the “seasonal outlook” issued by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Climate Center that projected “below normal rainfall in the Philippines and Sumatra and eastern Indonesian islands abutting Papua New Guinea” from October to December.
But this month alone, Yumul noted, the Philippines was devastated by two major weather disturbances, which dumped some 675 millimeters of rainwater on northern Luzon last weekend.

“Ondoy and Pepeng are basically abnormalities,” he said. “Although some people would not be taking this seriously, this, we think, would actually be evidence related to global warming.”

Also on Monday, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo called for a meeting of the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council on Thursday “to discuss the causes, costs, and action to be taken in the wake of disasters brought by (killer storms) Ondoy and Pepeng.”

“The President is open to all constructive proposals to effectively address our problems collectively as a nation,” said Press Secretary Cerge Remonde.

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