Produce more ‘environment warriors,’ education officials urged
The Kabataan Party today urged lawmakers and education officials to evaluate the present curriculum in all levels and integrate modules on climate change in light of the distressing findings recently publicized in the Stern Review.
“It is very important and urgent that our government study the possibility of integrating climate change fully not only into development policy but also in education programs. An informed public and a government with strong political will are still the best weapons to avert the costs of extreme weather,” Kabataan Party president Raymond Palatino said.
Palatino said the inclusion of climate change in the curriculum will complement disaster preparedness seminars and classes which the youth party had proposed earlier.
“It is equally important that our agencies are logistically and theoretically prepared to deal with disasters. The public should know both how to be prepared to face natural catastrophes and why do these disasters happen in the first place. It is all right to learn disaster preparedness but it is better to be equipped with the knowledge on how to prevent these natural disasters from occurring in frequent and devastating fashion.”
He said there should be a drastic shift in government priorities, particularly in its efforts to conserve and protect the environment and Filipino lives.
“If we don’t take up drastic measures to confront climate change, we will also reap the ‘earliest and most.’ Properties worth billions are lost every year due to flooding and typhoons. Unfortunately, it seems we are no longer awed by news stories on the number of deaths after landslides, earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.”
Meanwhile, Palatino said the prioritization of courses in the field of environmental sciences and funding of more researches and acquisition of sophisticated implements can also help avert the harmful effects of climate change in the country.
“Instead of producing for-export health professionals, our universities should produce more environment warriors that will help the country confront the harmful effects of climate change.”
“We could have the most advanced technology to deal with volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, lahar flows, landslides, tsunamis and flash floods. We could have produced the best studies on Earth science and engineering geology. We could have the most sophisticated marine science know-how or the best shipping industry in the world since we are an archipelago and we have one of the longest coastlines of this planet.”
“But we do not prioritize these ‘mundane’ things since the present government prefers to give more concern in producing beauty queens, boxing champs, caregivers and leaders who want to change the Constitution.”
“The price we have to pay for our indifference will be even more catastrophic than what we have already suffered in the past if our concerned government agencies will not act now. We should prevent more people from being constantly displaced by natural disasters by implementing a comprehensive and sustainable program to protect our environment.”
“Now the predicament is not just how to discourage our people from leaving the country, but how to actually stop our people from becoming refugees in our own land because of climate change’s effects.”
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