THE ROLE OF PHILIPPINE FOREST IN MITIGATING GLOBAL WARMING

AND CLIMATE CHANGE

ABEGAIL LAGAZO
KATHLEEN MAE ALEGADO

INTRODUCTION

Climate change is generally recognized as one of the greatest challenges of this century.

Forests contain a substantial part of the planet’s carbon; therefore, current rates of forest loss

contribute to almost 20 percent of total emissions of carbon dioxide. Climate change and forests

are intrinsically linked: climate change is a threat to forests, and protecting forests from conversion

and degradation helps mitigate the impacts of climate change. (Van 2009)

Changes globally, primarily fueled by the quest of countries for economic wealth, have

resulted in a changing climate. We have altered the natural world to the extent that the globe is

becoming hotter, and the climate is changing as a result. Man’s factories and vehicles emit too

much gas into the air which is causing much more of the heat from the sun to be captured close

to the earth. At the same time we are removing the forests which purify the air. By removing the

forests themselves, we are also causing more of the gases to be put into the air. (Susan 2010)

GLOBAL WARMING

Global warming occurs when carbon dioxide (CO2) and other air pollutants and

greenhouse gases collect in the atmosphere and absorb sunlight and solar radiation that have

bounced off the earth’s surface. Normally, this radiation would escape into space-but these

pollutants, which can last for years to centuries in the atmosphere, trap the heat and cause the

planet to get hotter. (Amanda 2016)

Causes of global warming

The term ‘greenhouse’ comes from a type of building with clear glass or plastic walls

and roof. This lets in the light and heat from the sun and traps it inside the building, allowing
plants to be grown inside during cold weather. The earth’s atmosphere acts like a

greenhouse—trapping the light and warmth from the sun—so that is why the process of

warming the earth is called the ‘Greenhouse Effect.’

The greenhouse effect is the natural process of how the atmosphere keeps the earth

warm. The atmosphere is formed by a layer of invisible gases. Without those gases in the

atmosphere to keep in the sun’s warmth, the earth would be a frozen planet and no life could

survive. The greenhouse effect is a natural process. Both greenhouse gases and the greenhouse

effect are good for the earth. Having the right amount of GHGs allows the earth to be just the right

temperature to support life. But when human activities disturb this natural process by adding more

and more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere more heat is trapped and the earth gets warmer.

Some of the gases in the atmosphere are able to take in or absorb the heat from the sun

and the earth and keep it in the lower part of the atmosphere closest to the earth. There are many

greenhouses gases in the atmosphere. Some of the important ones include: Methane (CH4), this

comes from animal droppings and wetlands, as well as human activities such as rice cultivation,

Nitrous oxide (N2O), this gas comes from fertilizers and also from burning plants. But the most

important GHG is carbon dioxide (CO2) (Susan 2010).

Effects of global warming

Each year, scientists learn more about the consequences of global warming, and many

agree that environmental, economic, and health consequences are likely to occur if current trends

continue.

Melting glaciers, early snowmelt, and severe droughts will cause more dramatic water

shortage and increase the risk of wild fires. Rising sea levels will lead to coastal flooding and in

other areas. Forest, farms, and cities will face troublesome new pest, heat waves, heavy

downpours, and increased flooding. All those factors will damage or destroy agriculture and

fisheries. Disruption of habitats such as coral reefs that could drive many plant and animal species

to extinction. Allergies, asthma, and infectious disease outbreaks will become more common due
to increased growth of pollen-producing ragweed, higher levels of air pollution, and the spread of

conditions favorable to pathogens and mosquitoes. (Amanda 2016)

CLIMATE CHANGE

Weather talks about the temperature, rainfall, or storms in a specific place on a specific

day or over a very short period, like one season and climate is described as “the average

weather” or weather conditions that happen over a long period of time. Climate change is

the change of the normal weather patterns around the world over an extended period of time,

typically decades or longer. The climate is a very complex natural process that includes the

interaction among the air, the water, and the land surface. The way the air moves through the

atmosphere and the way the water moves through the ocean can also affect temperature and

rainfall.

Causes of climate change

Most of the increase in global average temperature is due to the increase of certain gases

in the atmosphere. The atmosphere is made up of many different gases that occur from natural

processes. The gases are also produced by human activities. Producing too much of some of

these gases can cause a change in natural processes that in turn causes climate to change.

Aside from global warming, one reason the climate is changing is that human activities are

disturbing the earth’s processes and cycles that control the earth’s climate. More and more CO 2

emissions from human activities are changing the balance of the earth’s natural processes—

causing climate change.

also reduce the amount of Co2 pulled out of the air and stored (cutting down forests).

Human Activities

Almost every single activity of human do releases some CO2 into the air, but some

activities release large amounts, such as burning fossil fuels through industry, the use of vehicles,

and deforestation and fires:

Burning of fossil fuels

Vehicles and industries, such as mining or manufacturing use fossil fuels. Electricity is

often produced by burning fossil fuels such as coal or natural gas. These fuels all contain high

amounts of carbon. When cars or machines use gasoline or diesel the carbon in the fuel changes

into carbon dioxide that goes straight to the atmosphere.

Cutting down or burning trees to change forests into pastures or agricultural land or for

commercial timber production releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Land-use change

Land use change also affects the carbon cycle in another way. When forests are cut down

for commercial timber, agriculture, or livestock grazing, the amount of forest available to pull CO 2

out of the air is reduced so more CO2 stays in the atmosphere. Changing natural ecosystems to

areas of human use (agriculture, pasture lands, building land and so forth) usually causes a

change from an area of high carbon storage (often forest or woodland) to one of lower carbon

storage (such as pasture land)

Effects of Climate Change

Climate change means that the land, the forest, the water resources, animal behavior,

crop production, and other things on earth are going to change. The way we grow food, the types

of plants that can live in different areas, the patterns of rainfall and hot and cold weather will all

continue to change if we do not halt the process of global warming and climate change. Humans,

plants and animals will not be able to survive in areas that get too hot or in places that are flooded

because of rising sea levels. If we want to survive on this earth in the future, then we will need to

stop activities that are causing climate change and learn to adapt to new ways of doing things.
 ROLES OF FOREST

Mitigation

Climate change mitigation is the process of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions

that come from industrial activities and forestry and agricultural activities. Good management of

forests can play a very important role to mitigate or lessen climate change.

Reforestation—planting new tress Avoiding deforestation, or the cutting of trees

Improved management of forest resources Improved crop and pasture management to

Adaptation is a change in the way of doing something because of new conditions because the

climate is changing, plants, animals and people are going to need to adapt to new weather

conditions and sea levels.

Strengthening adaptive capacity of trees and forests

We must seek to increase the natural environment’s resilience and reduce its vulnerability to

the impacts of climate change by continuing to conserve and enhance existing biodiversity,

particularly in protected areas; adopting a landscape-scale approach to conservation

management in which protected areas are the building blocks; identifying where large clusters of

semi-natural habitat occur and seeking to maintain and enhance the connectivity of such

landscapes and reducing habitat fragmentation by building resilient natural systems.

Strengthening adaptive capacity of forest dependent communities

Many aspects of daily life for people and communities are going to change because the

climate is changing. In some areas conditions are changing slowly; in others change is happening

more rapidly. Some areas will change more than others. This depends on the part of the world,

and how climate impacts it. Change is occurring more rapidly in cold climates where warmer

temperatures are melting snow and ice and threatening people’s way of life. In the past, changes

in climate happened over a long period of time, so people, animals and plants had time to adapt

naturally. Now change is happening too fast for animals and plants to adapt naturally. People also

need time to make plans and changes, so it is important to work on ways to adapt now.

Climate change is affecting people now and there will likely be more impacts in the future.

Scientists and local communities are observing earlier melting of snow in the spring, higher sea

levels, and changes in rainfall patterns. These changes affect how people live. Governments and

international agencies are talking about what actions can be taken to protect people and the
environment. International funds are being created to help developing countries adapt, and there

has been discussion of increasing those funds.

People living in tropical forests have their own cultures, goals, and interests. Indigenous

peoples and local communities have local knowledge, practices and traditions for managing the

natural resources that allow them to survive. Indigenous and other forest dependent peoples who

depend on the forests are skilled at adapting to changes in natural conditions. This local

knowledge and traditional practice are helpful tools for adapting to climate change.

Imagine people who live in cities or villages on the coasts, right in front of the ocean. If the

sea level rises too much, houses and streets will be under water. One way of adapting is to build

houses on stilts so the water can run underneath them, or to move buildings to higher ground.

This is a way of adapting to more flooding.

CONCLUSION

Climate change is bringing many changes to the way people live all over the world.

Governments and local communities need to understand why these changes are happening and

how to stop climate change and adapt to the changes that are already happening. Action is

needed by both developed and developing countries by the governments and by local

communities everywhere. In developed countries, people need to use technology more wisely,

decrease their use of fossil fuels and find better ways to produce energy. Countries and

businesses need to share their resources and technology. Developing country governments and

communities need to manage the wealth of their forest resources wisely as they grow and

develop. And everyone needs to work together to maintain the natural ecosystems and

processes that can keep the world’s climate healthy. The traditional knowledge of indigenous

peoples and other local communities is an important resource that can assist decision-makers

as they plan action to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and test new ways of managing
forests. The involvement of indigenous peoples and local communities at all stages of planning

and action will create the opportunity for sharing this knowledge and bring local needs and

priorities into these processes.

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STONE, S. and M. LEON. 2010. Climate Change and the Role of Forests. Retrieved on October
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