Due to human activities such as fossil fuel combustion, deforestation, mining, refrigeration, livestock production, and rice cultivation, among others, the climate of our planet has been undergoing changes – unfortunately, these changes are detrimental rather than beneficial.
As a consequence of these actions, the levels of trace gases including carbon dioxide, methane, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and nitrous oxide released into the atmosphere have significantly risen.
These gases are known to trap heat, and as a result, they have been identified as primary contributors to the global climate shifts, leading to severe repercussions such as rising sea levels, intensified storms, floods, droughts, melting ice caps, ocean acidification, and an impending food crisis.
“Climate change is more disastrous to the agricultural industry of the Philippines and its neighboring Asian countries than in other parts of the world,” argued Dr. David Street, of the US Argonne National Laboratory.
“Climate-related impacts are expected to reduce agricultural productivity in the Philippines,” said a World Bank report entitled Getting a Grip on Climate Change in the Philippines, it said.
Experts believe rice, the country’s staple food, will be greatly affected by climate change. “Increasing carbon dioxide leads to increased photosynthesis and, potentially, more rice biomass. But concurrent increases in global temperature could also potentially limit rice harvests by increasing spikelet sterility,” the Laguna-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) said in a statement.
“More carbon could also increase biomass of known weeds when compared with that of rice, which could limit rice growth in the future,” IRRI further explained. “Higher temperatures, especially in tropical areas that are already near or above the optimum temperature for rice, will reduce growth and yields.”
But it is not only Filipino farmers who will suffer. “In the decades ahead, the most serious consequences will be felt in coastal and urban areas,” warned the World Bank report. “Severe hardships are expected in agriculture and fisheries, leading to negative impacts on jobs and the economy.”
The lack of concern among Filipinos has aggravated the impacts of climate change in the country. A recent study conducted by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) has shown that a majority of Filipinos possess a keen awareness of climate change and the associated risks.
Data gathered from more than 4,600 Filipinos across various regions of the country indicated that eight out of ten individuals acknowledge the reality of climate change, while approximately four out of ten expect to be significantly affected within the next five years.
Nevertheless, the same research highlights that only a small number of Filipinos are taking proactive steps to mitigate the potential impacts of climate change, with six out of ten not implementing any measures.
Are there any possible solutions?
If agriculture is one of the factors contributing to climate change, it can also play a role in addressing it. Consider rice, a crop that thrives in saturated soil, where its roots are submerged. “But flooded rice crops emit substantial amounts of methane to the atmosphere,” reminded L. Hartwell Allen, an American soil scientist at the Crops Genetics and Environmental Research Unit in Gainesville, Florida.
The breakdown of organic matter in inundated rice paddies generates methane. “Traditionally, farmers flood their rice fields continuously and incorporate 4-5 tons of rice straw per hectare at land preparation,” says a report released by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD).
Where there is determination, there is a path forward. At Isabela State University, a study supported by PCAARRD demonstrated that by implementing straightforward science-based methods, farmers can make a significant impact on reducing methane emissions. For example, mid-season drainage of irrigation water led to a 48% decrease in methane emissions.
On the other hand, composting rice straw has led to a 64% reduction in methane emissions released into the atmosphere. By integrating mid-season drainage with the application of rice straw compost, methane emissions can be further decreased by 81%.
Planting trees can also play a significant role in mitigating climate change, according to Dr. Pieter P. Tans of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. His team’s analysis of thousands of air samples revealed that the cultivation of trees and other vegetation could “have a powerful effect in combating the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.”
Some experts identified bamboo as one of the trees, although bamboo is not actually a tree but a grass. Bamboo, often referred to as “the green gold of the forest,” is highlighted by PCAARRD as “the closest material that can be used as a substitute for wood.”
“Bamboo’s fast-growing and renewable stands sequester carbon in their biomass – at rates comparable to or superior to many tree species,” says the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR). “The many durable products made from bamboo can also be potentially carbon negative because they act as locked-in carbon sinks in themselves and encourage the expansion and improved management of bamboo forests.”
Bamboo also reduces carbon release. “Bamboo helps avoid fossil fuel use by offering an alternative, highly renewable source of biomass energy,” INBAR says. “Studies show that bamboo charcoal has a calorific value similar to that of wood charcoal – with far less pollution.”
A good thing about bamboo is that it can easily adapt to a wide range of habitats from lowland to mountain forests in both dry and humid tropics. “Bamboo can even survive on wastelands, swamps and dry or regularly flooded river banks,” PCAARRD says. “They are able to absorb more water for storage during the El Niño season because of their wide spreading root system.”
The Philippines may also help mitigate climate change by sequestering significant pollutant carbon dioxide from fossil fuel-run vehicles. This can be done by tapping its huge carbon stock potential from its ocean’s seagrasses, according to a research arm of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
The DENR’s Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB) has embarked on a basic research on carbon sequestration potential of seagrass beds. A blue carbon study conducted in Lian, Batangas showed that the 50-hectare seagrass meadows can capture 97 megagrams of carbon dioxide equivalent to the annual emission of 20 cars.
“Some people think seagrasses are mere colonizers and can quickly appear and disappear. Others think that planting mangroves on seagrass beds is all right. As such, our objective is to unfold another important ecological value of seagrasses in the ecosystem,” said Jose Isidro Michael T. Padin, ERDB supervising science research specialist.
