Act now on climate change - Loren

"Act now before it is too late," Sen. Loren Legarda warned the nation, observing that the present climate disturbances are only "signals of trouble ahead with cataclysmic consequence simply because of man's incessant attack on Mother Nature."

"Needless to say, because of this wanton destruction on our surrounding, nature is fighting back with consequences too awesome to contemplate," Legarda told Mindanao's municipal mayors during a workshop-conference here on climate change adaptation recently.

Loren said that climate change disasters threaten the food and fresh water supply, livelihood, infrastructure, biodiversity, culture and economic well-being of Filipinos, as well as other peoples round the globe.

"We already know the problem; we just have to act together to mitigate the impacts of climate change," she stressed.

According to Loren, one of the keys that could dramatically mitigate the effects of climate change are environmentally-friendly farming practices such as agroforestry.

Loren, who is the United Nations champion on climate change adaptation and risk reduction in Asia-Pacific, pointed out that agroforestry is a good example of adaptation action to climate change with positive mitigation effect.

Loren explained that agroforestry promotes cool and good quality of environment, thereby reducing heat stress and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Loren cited the tremendous potential impacts of climate change on the Philippines' crop yield which she said may decline by 75% and that in whole Asia by 19%.

Loren, who is also chair of the Senate Standing and Oversight Committee on Climate Change, also updated the Mindanao mayors on the progress of the recently concluded Bicameral Conference on the Climate Change Act of 2009 which she co-authored.

The bill seeks to establish the Climate Change Commission with the President as the chairperson. The Commission shall be the sole policy-making body of the government which shall be tasked to coordinate, monitor and evaluate the programs and action plans of the government relating to climate change.