Greenforumph

KALIWA DAM PROJECT PUT ON HOLD

Sen. Raffy Tulfo, expressing his opposition against the construction of Kaliwa Dam, asks officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) the status of the project, noting that several sectors are opposing it because of its environmental impact and the ill-effects on the lives and livelihood of indigenous peoples (IPs) living in the area. New Centennial Water Source – Kaliwa Dam Project is aimed at meeting increasing water demand by constructing a dam for Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) service area’s domestic water supply. It is located in Quezon province with projected tunnel traversing to Teresa, Rizal. Tulfo, during the hybrid briefing on the proposed 2023 budget of the DENR Tuesday, October 11, 2023, asked the position of the agency on the project. DENR Usec. Ernesto Adobo Jr. said the department has put on hold the issuance of Environment Compliance Certificate (ECC) to the project because its zoning in the protected areas has not yet been done. Adobo also said the IPs has not given their Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) - a requirement under the Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act of 1997 - which recognizes the IPs' rights to their ancestral lands. FPIC is also a prerequisite for the issuance of a Special Use Agreement in Protected Areas from the environment department. Tulfo said “it’s music to my ears” that the project will not push through as he believed that Sierra Madre mountains should be protected, along with the lives and livelihood of IPs in the area. (Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate PRIB)

PALAWAN, TAYTAY, 'We gets the chainsaw attorney!' ang pasigaw na broken english ni Dado, team leader ng para-enforcers ng PNNI sa nasakote na makina ng mga loggers sa gubat ng sitio Orol, Barangay Canique. Hindi na nakayanan ng mga taga-komunidad ang walang habas na putulan ng mala-higanteng kahoy gubat sa sitio Orol nang isumbong ito sa PNNI. Ininguso pa ang magandang daan upang makalusot sa maraming 'spotter' na nagbabantay, upang masiguro na mahuli ang chainsaw na ang kahoy ay para sa cottages na pangturismo. Ayon sa nagreport ay apektado na sila sa unti-unting pagkaubos ng kanilang gubat dahil sa humihina na ang tubig sa kanilang basakan at wala na rin sa panahon ang pagdating ng bagyo. Dagdag pa nito na ito na ata ang ganti ng kalikasan at mabuti na sa PNNI magsumbong dahil walang areglo!

BREAKING: Bulacan to ban all mining and quarrying activities in the province after 5 rescuers drowned in flood waters earlier this week.

Governor Daniel Fernando: Panahon na upang pangalagaan at isalba ang ating kalikasan... That’s why by means of an executive order hindi na po tayo magpapa-quarrying at magpapa-mining ngayon…

Sa ating lalawigan, hindi ko po papayagan… Kung sira ang Sierra Madre, malamang pumasok nang todo ang bagyo sa Bulacan. | via Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News

FULL STORY: https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/30/22/bulacan-to-suspend-mining-quarrying-after-karding-kills-6

From today's editorial of The Manila Times:

The rosy estimates of how much revenue can be generated or how many people can be employed are simply distractions from the fact that given the current state of the Philippines' industrial development, any mining that takes place here amounts to exploitation of the most fundamental form of the national wealth for the sake of creating value elsewhere. The Philippines has no downstream processing, refining and manufacturing industrial sector to speak of, which could turn the relatively low-value raw materials into high-value products. Our own nickel and copper are sent away to other countries, and sold back to us in the form of imported products costing hundreds of times what we originally earned.

Source: https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/01/08/opinion/editorial/lifting-of-mining-ban-a-poor-decision/1828521

The phase-out of energy deemed clean and cheap by some is an irreversible step for Europe’s biggest economy even as it faces ambitious climate targets and rising power prices.

Read: https://inq.news/grmnynclr

Mangingisda sa Taliptip, Batid na ang mga Malulubhang Epekto ng Proyektong Bulacan Aerotropolis Bukod sa kumokonting mga isda dahil sa pagtatayo ng Bulacan Aerotropolis, naging limitado na rin ang mga palaisdaan dahil sa pagbabawal ng SMC sa mga mangingisdang pumasok sa mga nabili nilang lugar.

Cheers and cries of pure joy erupted as the judge handed down the ruling in the world's first ever climate liability suit.

886 Dutch citizens, including teachers, entrepreneurs, grandparents and students united to sue their government for its inaction on climate change. In a decision likely to reverberate across the world, the court ordered the state to reduce emissions by 25% within 5 years to protect its citizens from climate change.

A HUGE congratulations to all involved, including Urgenda, the group that brought the suit on behalf of the citizens.

In celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Month, we've come out with a primer on the powers of local government units (LGUs) in mining and other environmentally critical projects.

Designed in an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) format, it is meant to help LGUs, local communities, and civil society organizations (CSOs) find legal anchor for their environmental causes.

Get your copy of the primer here: https://www.lrcksk.org/publications

Death sentence for Pasig River.

Join and sign the petition to stop the Pasig River Expressway: bit.ly/NoToPAREX

Cartoon by Cartoonist ZACH

We need an environmental agenda for 2022, one that we will insist our chosen candidates work with us on. #

Join us tomorrow via Zoom as we discuss "Continuing Struggle for Life, Land and Livelihood: Anti-Mining Campaigns in the Philippines and Australia" on Friday, September 3, 2021, 5 PM PST / 7 PM AEST.

The illegal and destructive Didipio copper-gold mine project of Australian-Canadian firm Oceanagold in the Philippines, which has a violent history of human rights abuse, has just been renewed by President Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte has sentenced the people of Nueva Vizcaya to another 25 years of water scarcity, agricultural devastation, and human rights violations.

The Philippines is one of the Southeast Asian countries affected by the global climate and ecological crises. Globally, it is a hotspot of extreme climate impacts, biodiversity loss, and mineral and fossil fuel extraction.

Meanwhile, Australian taxpayers' money supports the creation of vast coal mines when the world is battling to protect the environment and prevent global warming.

Register via: [email protected]

PHILIPPINE RIVERS DOMINATED THE GLOBAL TOP 10 LIST OF LARGEST PLASTIC EMITTING RIVERS!🇵🇭

About 80% of the world's ocean plastics enter via rivers. The Philippines alone contribute about 1/3 of the global total - much higher than those coming from the continents of Africa, North America, South America, Europe, and Oceania combined!

In tackling ocean plastic pollution, we need to know where they are coming from and what are factors playing a role in their transport from settlements to oceans. The newly released study of Meijer et al. (2021), entitled "More than 1000 rivers account for 80% of global riverine plastic emissions into the ocean," highlighted the following points:

🔹Rivers contributed 0.8-2.7 million tons of plastic into the oceans. Of the 100,000 rivers included in the study, only 1/3 actually contributed to it - with the remaining 2/3 emitted almost no plastic to the ocean!

🔹The research suggested that smaller rivers played a much larger role than previously thought - with 1,656 rivers contribute 80% of plastic inputs to the ocean. This differs from previous studies showing that only 5 rivers (Schmidt et al., 2017) or 162 rivers (Lebreton et al., 2017) contributed the 80%

🔹Most of the world’s largest emitting rivers are in Asia, where about 81% of the ocean plastics are emitted. The Philippines, the top-emitting country, alone contributes around 36.4% of the world's total - much higher than the most populous countries (China - 7% and India - 13%)!

🔹Seven out of the 10 top-emitting rivers are from the Philippines, with Pasig River alone contributing 6.4% of global river plastics - higher than the contribution of North America (5.4%), Europe (0.6%), and Oceania (0.37%) combined. This deviates from the previous expectations that large rivers, such as the Yangtze, contribute the most.

🔹The study highlighted some important factors determining how the top-emitting rivers contribute more than the others: (1) they are from areas with poor local waste management practices, (2) they have cities nearby, (3) experience more rainfall, and (4) the cities themselves are near the coast.

🔹Though richer countries produce much more plastic waste per person than poorer countries, the probability of having more plastics draining into the ocean is affected by the climate, geographical setting, and local waste management practices.

In summary, this study showed the importance of having a global approach in tackling the world's ocean plastic pollution. Focusing mitigation strategies in richer countries won't make much difference because their ocean plastic inputs are low. Instead, they should help poorer countries in improving waste management facilities and practices. Furthermore, we must speed up our shift to more sustainable alternatives to plastics - because, in the end, the problems will just continue circulating and worsen if we won't make drastic actions.

See their interactive map here: https://theoceancleanup.com/

REFERENCES:
[1] Meijer, J.J.L, Emmerik, T., Ent, R., Schmidt, C., Lebreton, L. (2021). More than 1000 rivers account for 80% of global riverine plastic emissions into the ocean. Science Advances, 7(18). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaz5803
[2] Ritchie, H. (2021). Where does the plastic in our oceans come from?. OurWorldInData. Retrieved from: https://ourworldindata.org/ocean-plastics

WAKASAN ANG PANDARAMBONG NI DUTERTE SA KALIKASAN! Limang taon na tayong humaharap sa krisis ng kapaligirang dinadambong at pinapabayaan ng gobyernong Duterte.

Imbes na maglatag ng pang-matagalang solusyon sa mga suliranin sa kalikasan, tila palamuti lang ang mga naging programa sa kapaligiran ni Duterte, mula Boracay rehab hanggang Baywalk dolomite dump.

Habang namamangha tayo sa kapirangot na isla at baybayin, 16,000 ektarya ng ating bahura at pangisdaan sa West Philippine Sea ang sinisira at hinuthot ng Tsina. Imbes na manindigan at ipagtanggol ang ating teritoryo, mas pinili ni Pangulong Duterte talikuran ang ating soberanya at karapatan sa West Philippine Sea.

Habang nagtatambak ng mapanganib na dolomite sa Baywalk para diumano sa rehabilitasyon ng Manila Bay, libo-libong bakawan na ang pinutol at daan-daang pamilya ang pinalayas sa 2,500 ektaryang reklamasyon para sa Aerocity ng San Miguel. Hindi kukulang 30,000 ektarya ng mga proyektong reklamasyon ang napipintong umabante sa Manila Bay.

Pambobolang boladas naman ang postura ni Duterte sa pagmimina. Unti-unti niyang kinakain ang mga maaanghang na salitang binibitawan niya laban sa mga mina nang paunti-unti niyang inatras ang pagpapasara ng minahan ni dating DENR Sec. Gina Lopez.

Tuluyan niyang nilunok ito nang ipataw niya kamakailan ang EO 130 na nagbukas muli ng ating lupain sa 100 na bagong proyekto ng pagmimina.

Kung gusto talaga ni Duterte na sagipin ang kapaligiran, bakit niya pinapatay ang mga nagtatanggol dito? Di kukulang sa 186 na tanggol-kalikasan na ang pinatay sa ilalim ng rehimeng ito.

Bakit dinadahas ang mga barikadistang Tuwali laban sa dayuhang pagmiminang Oceanagold sa Nueva Vizcaya? Bakit minamasaker at hinuhuli ang mga Dumagat at magsasakang tumututol sa Kaliwa Dam sa Rizal at Quezon?

Nasa gitna tayo ng sala-salabat na krisis ng pandemya, climate change, at pagkaubos ng saribuhay at likas yaman. Walong milyon ang nakatikim ng sabay-sabay na mga krisis na ito nang tinamaan tayo ng bagyong Rolly at Ulysses. Hihintayin ba natin na tayo na ang susunod na maaanod ng bahang galing sa mga nawasak na bundok ng Sierra Madre?

Tama na ang limang taon ng anti-kalikasang pamamalakad ni Duterte. Hindi na dapat patagalin pa ng isa, at lalong hindi na dapat dagdagan ng anim o higit pa.

Itindig natin ang paglabang magwawakas sa ganitong kalakaran. Tularan natin ang mga bayaning tanggol-kalikasan na nagbabarikada sa mga minahan, nangungumpiska ng mga chainsaw ng mga iligalista, at nangangalaga ng ating kapaligiran kahit bansagan pang kriminal o terorista.

Tularan natin ang mga kabataang nagwewelga laban sa mga industriyang sumisira sa ating kapaligiran at klima, at nananawagan na baguhin na ang sistemang pampulitika at pang ekonomiya sa kada bansa at sa buong mundo.

Ang bagong mundong layon nating itatag ay mangyayari lang sa pagwawakas ng lumang kaayusan. Makakamit natin ang henerasyon ng pagpapanumbalik tanging sa pananaig ng mamamayan at kalikasan laban sa dayuhan at iilan.

Simulan natin ito sa pagwawakas ng rehimeng nagpapanatili ng business as usual na lumalason sa ating saribuhay at sa kinabukasan ng mga susunod na henerasyon.


Dayuhang pagmimina, wakasan na!

Pandarambong ng ating karagatan, wakasan na!

Kriminal na pagpapabaya sa kalamidad at pandemya,
wakasan na!

Pamamaslang at panunupil ng tanggol-kalikasan, wakasan na!

Rehimeng Duterte, !

Pahayag ng Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment
sa okasyon ng
June 5, 2021

from this railroaded project that can't even decide if it's 10 hectares, 5 hectares, or 500 square meters.

A WORKER AS A SCIENTIST AS A WORKER

Their routine is as invariable as it gets
whether an 8 to 5 job, a 24-hour lab, months of field work
they hum along the rhythm of experiments
scientists are workers on schedule

Their routine is as predictable as they come
in factories, in offices, in construction sites
they deftly move as the clock signals the start and the end
workers are scientists on schedule

On coats and gears in laboratories and field sites,
not mere cogs to a running machine
vital as they are what they discover
scientists are workers running the machine

On uniforms and protective sleeves, from factories to offices
not just lever-pushers, button-pressers
vital to our society’s being
workers are scientists running the world machine

When a scientist measures and mixes reagents
is it different from workers measuring and mixing ingredients?
how far have we glorified the scientist’s intellect
and devalued the workers manual skills and strength?

And when the day signals their labor’s end
it is to remind both of them of their commodification
Their wits and strength are not theirs
Alienation deprives them
of their being

Only through the understanding of these realities
Only through the melding of strengths and intellect of both scientists and workers
Pushing for industries of the people
Liberates them in granting them agency for their labor

The worker is a scientist
The scientist is a worker
No amount of romanticisation
Can separate their conditions

In a world that pits a person to another
In a system that devalues them altogether
To STRUGGLE and acknowledge these realities, what is it for them to gain?
It is to lose their chains!

This is the same person who is ruining the waters of Bulacan, which is a food source for ALL OF US, so he can build an airport that even Duterte's economic managers do not believe in, that science tells us will start sinking sooner than later, will kill the ecology of the area, and have environmental effects across Manila Bay.

Do not be fooled. He's "cleaning" this because he gets billions out of it. Did we mention he's not paying taxes on the airport for years?

The judge found the road-widening projects’ environmental clearance certificate and two tree cutting permits to be valid. https://inq.news/3atFKkz

Seems like a very happy old man looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!

Greta Thunberg spilling some tea.

A short summary from the ‪ ‬ in Paris yesterday:
Bla bla bla nature
Bla bla bla very important
Bla bla bla ambitious
Bla bla bla green investments
Bla bla bla great opportunity
Bla bla bla green growth
Bla bla bla net zero emissions
Bla bla bla step up our game
Bla bla bla hopeful
Bla bla bla...

(while locking in decades of further destruction)

10 years ago our leaders signed the “ambitious” Aichi goals ”to protect wildlife and ecosystems”. By the end of 2020 it became clear they had failed on every single one.
Each day they have the possibility to act. But they choose not to. Instead they just sign some more “ambitious” targets long into the future while passing binding policies, locking in destructive business as usual such as the new EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)

Of course change doesn’t happen overnight and of course we need the ”bla bla bla” to get moving. The question is; how many decades of bla bla bla do we really need? Because there has been quite a few so far…
There are undoubtibly many great people working and pushing for change on government levels everywhere, but the current best available science clearly shows that the action needed is not possible within today’s systems. We need a whole new way of thinking.
And it gives me absolutely no pleasure or joy to keep pointing this out, but as it is now we can have as many meetings and conferences as we want - unless we start to treat this like the existential emergency it is, no real sufficient action will be possible. We cannot solve a crisis without treating it like a crisis.
Picture cred to owner (if you know who has made it please let me know and I will update asap)

NNNP: OUR LAST FRONTIER

A protected forest area. The ancestral domain of the Ata-Negrito tribe. Negros Occidental's largest watershed. A biodiversity conservation site.

The natural habitat of the Visayan spotted deer, Negros bleeding-heart pigeon, Visayan leopard cat, endemic and endangered bird species, hardwood trees, Almaciga trees, wild orchids, herbs, and so much more.

Home of the people.

Any mention of the Northern Negros Natural Park (NNNP) lately has always been closely interrelated with issues of environmental destruction. Illegal structures, unsustainable tourism, land-grabbing, and road construction projects. The list could go on and on. After all, something so majestic cannot be hidden in quiet silence.

We have seen its beauty, and did with it what humans always do: destroy it in the name of "progress", "development", and money.

But it doesn't have to be that way. Real development does not have to come at the expense of the Earth. Real progress does not leave behind people and communities.

In the forests of Negros, we count our riches by the number of the living birds, the strength of the flourishing trees, and the calming sound of the raging rivers.

In the forests of Negros, our last frontier, we will never tire in standing together for its protection.

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NNNP: Our Last Frontier - Online Learning Sessions to be announced soon!

Follow our page for more updates and activities. 💚 Let us learn the beauty of our own home as we stand together to . 🌳

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SIGN THE PETITION HERE ▶️ bit.ly/SaveNegrosForests ⛰
JOIN THE CAMPAIGN ▶️ bit.ly/NEWVolunteerReg ☀️

Poster by Matthew Vincent

The International Union for Conservation of Nature confirmed the extinction in 2020 of 36 plant and animal species, not seen for decades.

📷 AFP