Environment

MANILA, Philippines – So you want to keep doing your part to save the earth, but run out of places to plant trees in, and all your incandescent bulbs are now CFBs. Here are three easy steps that require little effort, but count a lot.

MANILA, Philippines –  Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara has urged malls and other commercial establishments, government offices and the general public to avoid using too many Christmas lights to save electricity and help mitigate the effects of global warming.

MANILA, Philippines — With over 17 million Filipino smokers around, it is no wonder that cigarette butts are the number 2 in the list of the country’s top polluters.

FIVE ASIAN cities, including Manila, have obtained “good” clean air assessment in a pilot test of the Clean Air Scorecard developed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia), a statement said Tuesday.

PRIETO DIAZ, Sorsogon — More and more local governments and NGOs are reforesting their coastlines with mangroves. They can learn from this Pacific town how to do it by the hundreds of hectares, both to save the earth and spur the economy. It’s a success story of environment protection leading into different livelihoods.

A WIDE array of incentives for both local and foreign companies promoting green technology has been proposed in the House of Representatives. Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara of the Lone District of Aurora pitched for such measure on Tuesday, saying that the green technology in various fields—such as power generation, recycling, water purification, air purification, sewage…

NEW YORK — The solution to manmade climate change depends on the transition to electricity production that, unlike burning oil, natural gas, and coal, emits little or no carbon dioxide — the main greenhouse gas responsible for global warming.

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has called for stronger enforcement of environmental laws and greater cooperation between lawmen and other government officials under the Environmental Law Enforcement Task Force.

SAN PEDRO, Laguna, Philippines — Authorities have ordered the “temporary shutdown” of Tanduay Distillers Inc.’s plant in Cabuyao, Laguna, following reports that its water discharges had triggered a fish kill in Laguna de Bay. The plant actually burned down last October 15.

CITING the small number of big corporations participating in biodiversity conservation, nevertheless, it was pointed out that the presence of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is needed to be actively and positively involved in biodiversity promotion.

Brussels, 19 October 2010 (ITUC OnLine): Maintaining biodiversity is a central issue for working people and their communities around the planet, including through the creation of decent jobs, protection of livelihoods and ensuring resilience to climate change, according to the ITUC in its submission to biodiversity talks currently underway in Nagoya, Japan.  

OTTAWA—Canadian mining companies are far and away the worst offenders in environmental, human rights and other abuses around the world, according to a global study commissioned by an industry association but never made public.

GENERAL SANTOS CITY—The Tampakan environment office has sounded the alarm on the rising mercury content of the Pula Bato River, which could put in danger the health and safety of residents.

THE PHILIPPINES ranked in the middle of the pack of Asia-Pacific countries in terms of having the healthiest rivers, imperilling the country’s economic prospects, according to a draft study the Asian Development Bank (ADB) released yesterday.

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—Stressing results of scientific studies showing aerial spraying of banana plantations “has ill effects to the life and health of the people, their livelihood and the environment,” a coalition of Church-based and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) has urged the Aquino administration to stop all forms of aerial spraying in Mindanao.

Tampakan project, the largest untapped copper and gold reserves in Southeast Asia, would continue to cause harm and disunity around the mining site especially now that President Benigno Aquino III has bolstered his support for mining, an environmental group said Monday.

THE PHILIPPINES and Australia have started a partnership for energy efficient and green buildings, an Australian trade official said. Ross Bray, Australian Trade Commission senior trade and investment commissioner to the Philippines and Micronesia, said in an interview that Manila and Canberra are in the early stages of knowledge sharing for green building.

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has issued stricter guidelines for vehicular emissions to reduce air pollution in Metro Manila.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has decided to partner with a private firm in its effort to rid the country of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone-depleting substances.

MANILA, Philippines—The city environment office of Pasig kept a tight watch on two factories after an open pipe was discovered protruding and discharging white chemical substance into the Marikina River.

LIGHTING bulbs are now to return from where they came from. The Department of Energy now wants the producers of lamps and bulbs to take responsibility for the environmental and health impacts of their products throughout their life cycle. “True, we have switched from inefficient incandescent bulbs to efficient lighting systems such as compact fluorescent…

The departments of Energy and Environment and Natural Resources on Wednesday said that talks are underway on how to tackle an “extended producer responsibility” program for mercury lamps, including a policy study on establishing a plan of action for it.

BANGUED, Abra – Consistent with its Zero Waste Management Program, the municipal government here is pushing for a “no plastic, no styro” policy.

MANILA, Philippines—About 70 percent of the world’s population is expected to be living in cities by 2050. Some experts are concerned that as cities continue to grow and prosper, they become less and less habitable for families.

THE Asian Development Bank is offering the Philippine government as much as $280 million in loans to finance a proposed refleeting program for tricycle drivers and operators to shift to electric motorbikes or e-bikes.

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Tuesday said it would aim for a 30 percent reduction in the air pollution of Metro Manila and other urban areas by next year. DENR Secretary Ramon Paje said this move would cut by P7.6 billion a year costs arising from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases caused…

Two companies running two coal power plants in Cebu province have been temporarily disallowed from disposing their waste in areas near their facilities.

ENVIRONMENTAL advocates on Saturday lauded a court directive halting the disposal of coal combustion waste, or coal ash, by power plants in Naga and Toledo cities as a triumph for environmental health and justice.

The Philippines has also adopted tax incentives for the environment along with other objectives, such as aiding the health and education sector, promotion of culture, sports and arts, as well as incentives for social welfare.

Al Gore’s visit to the Philippines to talk about climate change and the seriousness of the problem reinforces the importance of the environment and sustainable development. Who among you did not experience the searing heat (you will agree with me when I say that this is an understatement) this summer and the almost surreal typhoons…