Francis Joseph Dela Cruz, the public campaigner of Greenpeace in Southeast Asia warned that less than 100 months is left for the planet to reach the point of no return due to fossil fuel emission. He encouraged campus journalist in Central Luzon to join the fight against global warming by doing more stories on environmental issues to create awareness. Photo by Rommel Ramos
SANTA MARIA, Bulacan—Less than 100 months are left for the planet before it reaches the point of no return, an environmentalist warned as he urged campus journalists participating in the 8th Regional Press Congress here to be involved in saving the planet.
Francis Joseph Dela Cruz, the Public Outreach Campaigner of Greenpeace in Southeast Asia said that since December last year, experts warned that at the rate that global temperature is rising, there were only 100 months left before global temperature reached the point of no return.
It was due to unabated use of fossil fuels and massive deforestations of the world’s forest.
“Studies showed that global temperature may reach two degrees centigrade in five to seven years or 100 months,” Dela Cruz said.
However, he said that the crisis-like situation presents opportunities as well.
“We may experience more extreme weather conditions in the next few years, but it also gives us the opportunity to reverse the trend by cutting down our greenhouse emissions,” he said.
Dela Cruz said that current trend in global temperature may serve as a wake up call for governments to push for the utilization of renewable energy like wind and solar power.
Dela Cruz said that the Philippines is not far behind in reversing the trend as the Senate recently approved the renewable energy bill which is waiting for the President to sign into law.
He also urged over 200 campus journalists from 32 participating colleges and universities in Central Luzon to get involved in saving the planet.
He said that they are the ones who will be most affected by the continuing climate change.
“You have to do something, you must do something,” Dela Cruz said
As this developed, Lora Yusi, the education supervisor of the Commission of Higher Education (CHED) in Central Luzon urged campus journalists to write and publish more environmental stories in their publications.
She even suggested that school publications should designate writer on environment issues, and to come up with activities to generate more awareness on the need to protect the environment.
“You have to write more environment stories, but to do that, you also have to go out and see whats going on,” she said.
Both Dela Cruz and Yusi were invited as guest speakers in the 8th Regional Press Congress of the Association of Tertiary School Paper Advisers in Region III (ATSPAR III) held at the Sitio Lucia Resort at Barangay Pulong Buhangin here.
