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Today, as it was in history, science, technology and
society are inextricably linked in our daily activities to produce
our needs. Yet with hews of discoveries in science each day, it
seems surprising that many people worldwide still remain in poverty.
This irony is made more intense in a country like the Philippines
where we have bright and learned scientists and a populace who would
benefit from their skills and discoveries. However, local scientists
find it hard to be scientists in a country that lacks industries
that would need them. We have skilled engineers who can find jobs
only in foreign-owned companies or abroad. Meanwhile, we continue to
import costly manufactured goods and export raw agricultural and
mineral products in its stead.
For sharing his knowledge of fire
with humanity, Prometheus was bound in chains and tortured daily
until he was freed by Hercules. The growth of science and technology
in the Philippines is similarly shackled to chronic underdevelopment
by economic and political obstacles. Yet science and technology (or
the lack thereof) play a large part in our everyday lives. There are
problems that are made clear by science, such as climate change,
that would have a direct impact on communities, and there are
current issues that can be seen in a more scientific bent. In this
space, we shall be probing the interplay and relevance of the forces
of productive advancement: science, technology and society.
Earth Day reminded us there is a
growing concern about climate change and rapid environmental
changes. It is expected to bring about massive economic devastation
and loss of human lives. Already, this impending threat is reflected
in increasing temperatures and sea water levels in the Philippines.
During 1986 to 1990, 84 typhoons inflicted damage amounting to
P36.46 billion, according to the National Disaster Coordinating
Council. In the same period, droughts damaged crops amounting to
some P20.47 billion.
The warming of the world’s
climate system has been well established by the 2007 Nobel
Prize-winning report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) that contributed to the warming of
the earth have increased due to human activities, increasing by 70
percent in the last 30 years. The past decade and a half are among
the warmest years since a century and a half ago. Sea level increase
has accelerated from an average of 1.8 millimeters annually (from
1961) to 3.1 millimeters per year (from 1996). Ice cover in the
Arctic is shrinking by 2.7 percent per decade, doubling in summer to
7.4 percent. Increased intense tropical cyclones have also been
observed. These put coastal areas and island nations at risk.
Managing the impacts of climate
change is highly dependent on a community’s social and economic
development. For countries, there seems to be an inverse
relationship between climate change vulnerability and
responsibility. The United States is currently the number one
producer of GHGs, accounting for more than 25 percent worldwide. Yet
the US government has refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol, a treaty
signed by around 169 countries to reduce global levels of GHG
emissions by 5.2 percent from their 1990 levels.
The most vulnerable to climate
change are those in the most vulnerable economic position in
society: the poorest peoples in the poor countries. For example,
peasant families would not only lose crops due to climate change but
also the very little money they have invested in farming.
Carbon offsets mechanism should
be reviewed, especially those GHG reduction and emissions trading
projects that shift responsibility from industrialized countries to
developing countries. Furthermore, the extreme end of denying
development to poor and developing countries just to meet emission
targets should be avoided. Reducing poverty means providing adequate
energy to developing countries while building their capacity to
withstand climate change impacts.
Climate change aggravates other
environmental problems brought about by globalization’s
ever-increasing destruction of our ecology. The capacity of
communities to respond to these disasters should be strengthened.
Local scientists and organizations should reach out to disseminate
concepts, knowledge, methods and tools at the grassroots level.
Community based disaster response, monitoring and mitigation can be
undertaken and livelihood should be provided for those who are
vulnerable to disasters.
It isn’t rocket science but
mobilizing communities that would greatly address our collective
ability to face climate change. This would be the platform to
pressure industrial countries to adopt genuine reduction targets.
This can push government to put people’s interests over the
exigencies of foreign affairs and a lack of industrial policy, and
draw up meaningful programs to mitigate the impacts of climate
change and underdevelopment.
Dr. Giovanni Tapang is a
physicist and chairperson of AGHAM or the Samahan ng Nagtataguyod ng
Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Sambayanan founded in 1999. He is an
assistant professor at UP Diliman.
prometheus_bound@gmail.com
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