Climate change to impact on sugar plantations

MANILA, Philippines – The vast tracts of sugar plantations in the so-called sugar capital of the country might not escape the harsh impact of the escalating climate change.

Climate Change Commission (CCC) vice chairman Heherson Alvarez issued this warning yesterday, as he asked local government units on Negros Island to start implementing policies to promote environmental conservation to combat the effects of global warming.

Speaking at the culmination of the 10th City Environment Week celebration of Kabankalan City in Negros Occidental, Alvarez urged local officials to find ways to thoroughly adopt green measures to fight the changing climate’s dangerous consequences.

Alvarez cited, for example, the implementation of efficient energy use in offices and homes; conservation of resources; garbage management; proper maintenance of vehicles; and establishment of eco-friendly buildings, among others, to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which causes global warming and climate change.

“All of us are now faced with a broad range of issues such as environmental survival. We are obliged to protect current and future generations of our country and the world,” he said.

Alvarez said cities must urgently aim to reduce their carbon footprint, as well as strive to change the mindset of the people about the environment and its protection.

He stressed that people must have the moral outlook and discipline to immediately address climate change concerns.

“The local government units must act and act fast to reduce their carbon footprint since the long history of and continuing carbon emission into the atmosphere is causing the world to become warmer,” he said.

“And a warming temperature results in dry farmlands as it threatens the extensive sugar lands in this region. We all know that extremely dry soil will be detrimental to sugarcane propagation,” he added.

The CCC revealed that based on information from the Internet, there is a reversion of sucrose into fructose and glucose, and enhancement of photorespiration, leading to less accumulation of sugars at higher temperatures.

On the other hand, severe cold weather inhibits bud sprouting in ratoon crops and arrests cane growth, a scenario that will also affect sugar plantations.

Apart from extreme drought, climate change is also blamed for the occurrence of strong typhoons or storms. In the wake of climate change, Alvarez said the Philippines now experiences at least 20 storms a year.

Currently, he said 200 billion tons of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, which would take hundreds of years to recycle.

The City Environment Week celebration in Kabankalan City was spearheaded by outgoing Mayor Pedro Zayco, Sangguniang Panglungsod member and environment committee chairman Jeorge Largado, and acting city planning and development coordinator Jesse Tanmoya Jr., among other local officials. –Michael Punongbayan (The Philippine Star)