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Myanmar moments

Risking his security, and to some extent, his life, this LA Times undercover reporter, quite literally at that, shares what he saw in far-flung villages ravaged by a typhoon.

Green consumerism

Is it an oxymoron? The Economist maps the greenest cities in California based on their 'green consumption' and explain how they evolve as so. Is a strong consumer of green goods any greener than your regular consumer who does his grocery in a discount supermarket?

The Devil Shift

My seatmate, Wilhelm, from Tanzania, suggested a few minutes ago (I am blogging while in class) to use one of the term 'Devil Shift' as a possible entry in my blog. This is probably one of the few terms I will remember in my current module on Environmental Policy and Management. The term doesn't mean the coming of the devil, because it is already within our midst! It means portraying your enemy more powerful and horrible as they are or they might be. A good example is telling your mother that your playmate pushed you that caused you a nasty bruise on your knee, when the problem is you are simply a weakling!

Politicians and interest groups use this to gain support from and influence behaviors of analysts and undermine objectivity of analysis, and consequently results. Environment groups could exaggerate how industries destroy the environment. But then again, probably not.

Peeping at the pandas

Other than the reason of their cuteness, the panda would have been extinct by now. It can't even reproduce on its own. BBC reports their findings on the bears' intimate moments.

"The giant panda's courtship and mating sequence - from boisterous beginning to noisy ending - has been filmed in the wild for what may be a TV first."

Evening of biodiversity

We held our 'evening of biodiversity' last night. Our little program featured some bits of the dance we will be performing in Bonn, the presentation of the statement we have crafted, and a long night of feasting and drinking. The Environment Minister of the Bavarian State graced our event, together with the Director of the Bavarian Forest National Park, and other locals. We handed them out 'ecological footprint' plaques for souvenirs.

Today is our last day here in the Bavarian Forest. We are going to the dance studio in a little while for our last rehearsal here in Bavaria. Tomorrow we will head off to Bonn.

Taking shape

We spent our day yesterday to shape things up- for our dance lessons and statement the UN Convention on Biodiversity. In the evening, some went for torch-lit hiking while the rest chose to stay cozy and warm by playing music.

Today will be another long day of dancing and statement-polishing!

Climbing the Summit

Yesterday se started our dance lessons with professional instructors all the way from Essen. We will perform this interpretative dance next week here in the Wilderness Camp.

In the afternoon we traveled to another part of the Bavarian Forest that is being managed "by doing nothing." This means that the forest is left on its own as much as possible, except for some trees that are cut for the safety of visitors. Somewhere in the forest we had a small program with music from traditional percussions- bongos, maraca, and anything you hit that makes sound! We put our memoirs in a giant glass ark donated by the Poschinger glass factory- the oldest in the world. This ark is held by a wooden hand that came from the Czechs. Czech Republic is only a few kilometers away from this part of Bavaria, and the country actually shares the forest with Germany.

We further hiked and reached one of the summits of the mountain. Despite the freezing weather all of us managed to reach the top! Up there we got our reward of a really filling typical German dinner!

Suffice it to say that I am now feeling sore and still tired even after 7 hours of sleep from all the physical activity yesterday. But we have just begun!

Ecological footprint

It is 7a.m. and I am here outside the just outside the main hall to reach the wiffi signal emanating from the "international hut" a hundre meters away. It is still raining, like how it did the whole day yesterday. The weather should be weather today as what, Barbara Kus, one of the organizers, told us yesterday.

We finished doing our "flying footprint," and learned that the USA and Germany has one of the highest ecological footprints. Among the participants in the youth summit, Benin and Namibia have one of the lowest. To cap off the long day, we danced our worries away to the tune of music from Latin America, Africa and Asia. Benin and Namibia participants, respectively, left us their cultural footprint as they taught us some of their traditional dance steps!

This afternoon, we are scheduled to visit a glass factory, which is one of the local industries here in Bavaria.

Preserving biodiversity

As I write this, people around me are getting busy preparing the 'flying footprint.' This is an encased exhibition of different materials found all over the globe. The participants of the youth summit had to hurdle the customs section to bring in seeds, crops, and food products to put in this time capsule. Some brought colorful cloths, stones, and what-nots.

Earlier, we had our lecture on access and benefits sharing, forests, and environmental governance. Later we will be presenting this flying footprint to the whole group, and next week, to Bonn for the whole UN CBD delegates to see.

Meeting the world

After traveling the wholeday- from Freiburg to Frankfurt Main to the Bavarian Forest- the whole troop of about 50 participants from all over the globe finally met.

We are now on our second day, and have done discussing biodiversity and development cooperation. We have also done a bit of hiking in the forest, and got a feel of challenges in this protected area. These mainly include management issues and bark beetles that feast on the trees.

In a little while we will be presenting our respective countries in an activity called- my environment and me. Photos and more updates soon!

Bound for biodiversity

By the time this entry gets published, I will be on a train en route to Frankfurt. From there, I will meet my other co-participants in the Go4Biodiv International Youth Summit. I hope to update still this blog regularly, and even give a blow-by-blow account of the Convention on Biodiversity when I arrive in Bonn!

Until then!

Urban facts

To my numerate readers, these figures from Grist magazine might be of interest to you!

Organic expense

Organic food is usually more expensive than 'normal' food that we buy in the groceries. The Environmental Blog reports that price of organic food is following the footsteps of the rising food prices all over the world. It is indeed logical. This makes it more difficult for middle class citizens to buy organic food, especially those for some who consider a few cents of price increase a make or break deal. This may form a negative feedback for organic farmers who might lose a potential 'middle class' market.

Earthquake in China

After the cyclone in Burma which killed thousands comes the earthquake in China. As of latest reports from CNN and BBC, at least 8,500 people are declared dead.

It is these "large-scale" natural disasters that catch us off-guard, despite all the forecasts and high-tech equipment we invent to predict our planet's movements. This uncertainty is one of the loopholes of development management, as these are considered as assumptions that "should not happen" to achieve desired goals.

Let us just hope that this disaster would be the last one, even if we know it won't be.

Thought for food

World Bank's president predicted political tremors in developing countries due to the food crisis. Soaring food prices directly affect the people, and except for the resignation of Haiti's prime minister, other countries have been keeping their cool. People are not silent, however, as demonstrations continue.

The Economist article points out UN's and developed countries need for a harmonized response plan to the food crisis.

Biodiversity-for-rent

This Green.view article may be a jumble of topics and lose its focus. Just look at the better parts of the article which tackles topics on invasive species as threat to biodiversity, mechanisms for financing environmental initatives, and a reality check on eco-tourism!

After reading the article, go out, get a life, and save the planet!

Blaming climate change

It seems some people are quick to blame climate change for whatever troubles we are facing these times. Just read this article from the Philippine Daily Inqurer, where a government official puts the blame on lack of irrigation water from climate change, and not the project they implemented.

I won't be surprised if we will soon blame climate change for flat tires and flunking that Maths exam!

Corporate Governance 2

I am officially finished with my Corporate Governance module. After the lengthy discussions on Corporate Social Responsibility, social entrepreneurship, and social and environmental standards, my module culminated with an oral exam (where I did good enough, I hope!).

My final verdict with our discussions is, so long as a voluntary approach to social responsibility of organizations is employed, especially businesses, these regulations and standards have no "teeth" for enforcement,thus their incremental value to development management is questionable.

Burma's bane

The cyclone that hit Burma left 22,000 dead. BBC reports that the lack of mangrove exacerbated the impact of the cyclone. Mangroves have been proven to absorb the force of waves, and could help in mitigating effects of tsunami. Moreover, mangroves are spawning grounds of marine animals.

The destruction of mangrove areas is a double-edged sword. Unfortunately, one edge has proven to be fatal in Burma's case.

Ideology and environment: socialism

After yesterday's communistic view on nature, let's look have a "social" look at things. Can socialism save the planet? is an essay on the role of socialism in 'saving (socializing?) the planet... for the people, by the people, and with the people.

Ideology and environment: communism

What have our ideologies got to do with the environment? A lot! With our ideologies, we are driven to subjugate or manage our environment. Our actions are guided by our ideologies, be it communism, socialism, or other isms. Take a look at what Marx and Engels interpreters have to say in 'Nature and the Communist Manifesto.'

Wind-wind solution?

Green.view in the Economist tackles the nuances of wind energy. Those white protruding towers with blades lazily turning around doesn't look as harmless and The probability of the blades getting dismantled and spin around and cause destruction maybe nil, but it causes major noise pollution. When I was in Zaragoza, Spain, I got the chance to visit a wind farm. The wind turbines up close and personal were intimidating. They dwarfed everything on their site. The whirring sound of the turbines filled the air, I could almost feel the electricity! One other major issue is the high cost of initial capital for infrastructure to transport the energy.

Read the article and don't miss the comments in The Economist online.

How green are you?

It seems all the 'how green is your (fill in what ever you'd like)?' question is popping up, from your car, weddings, and now, emails! Sustainablog reports on carbon emission IT produces.

This green computing will seem to be the next big thing for accountants and bookkeepers! I wonder how green will their paycheck be?

Delayed global warming

It seems we could afford some dilly-dallying in curbing our CO2 emissions. German researchers' forecast that the we will have a respite from global warming- at least for the next decade. If ever this were true, scientists assert the preparation we could make like buying less tank tops and flip flops, and its other economic impacts. The question remains on the certainty of these projections. Will this give us a window time to 'prepare' for further global warming, as the BBC article suggests?

For now, I would like the sunny days ahead, and enjoy spring.

Nuclear findings

Is nuclear energy a source of sustainable form of energy? BBC reports that the mining itself of uranium already contributes loads of CO2 emissions. Do proponents of renewable energy trace the CO2 produced in the manufacturing of solar panels, wind turbines, and biofuels?

Shall we all start calculating our CO2 footprint and adapt the least CO2-producing lifestyle?

Life-long losses

Click on this link to read a full report from the CBD headquarters on the foregone benefits of biodiversity that we have lost. I wrote on this topic on this blog entry a few days ago.

Earth carbon self-regulation

Scientists found evidence that the Earth has a self-regulating mechanism in the amount of carbon in the system. However, they said that human carbon emissions are making this system unstable. Read more about it in BBC News.

Corporate Governance

I started my module on Corporate Governance last week. So far, our class has centered on the debate of the responsibility of corporations to development. This is more commonly known as CSR or Corporate Social Responsibility. I and others in the class questions the incremental contribution of these organizations to development. However, do they actually have the responsibility for CSR? Is this only a result of pressure groups? Could corporations do it anonymously and voluntarily? Or do they do it because it actually makes 'business sense' for corporations to "take care" of their customers?

My opinion is that morality and values play an important role in CSR.

Curing climate change

One of the proposed technical solutions to climate change is to induce 'cooling' of the Earth by blocking the sun's rays. This idea builds on the volcanic eruption, especially that of Mt. Pinatubo during in 1991. The ozone layer may thin though if this option is pursued. Given this reactionary attempt to delay climate change is feasible, which would you prefer? A cool climate with an ozone hole that is at risk? Read more about it in BBC.

Close call

Come to think of it, we are just one species, Homo sapiens, in the raft of species in the world. How would our world be like if our ancestors weren't smart enough to fend for themselves, or from a natural disaster? Would species that were pushed to extinction caused by humans be still alive and commemorating our demise?

CNN reports the close call to this phenomenon that almost happened 70, 000 years ago.

Biodiversity loss can be deadly

Let me spin that cigarette warning 'Smoking can be deadly' plastered in cigarette boxes and wrappers. In this report of BBC, one of the arguments of biodiversity conservation is the foregone benefits of species that have become extinct. Who knows the cure for HIV-AIDS could have been the tusk of the mammoth? Or the beak of a dodo for cancer?

Some regard this argument as weak, however, due to the uncertainty to realize these benefits. Sustainable development advocates would defend this by asserting the precautionary principle, that is, basically, 'erring on the side of caution' or something akin to the 'better-have-it-when-you-don't-need-it-than-need-it-when-you-don't-have-it' line of thinking.

What about you? Will you weed out all the poison ivy in your yard? Only to find out that it could be the panacea!

Sunbathing

It seems it is not only I who has been missing the sunshine and the warm weather. Butterflies long for them, too. Not to have a good tan in their case, but a nice weather to forage for food and do some hanky panky.

I'm glad the sun is out today after a long stretch of wet and gray weather!

Pandora's box

This news bit from Gizmodo perfectly fits my module on Corporate Governance which started last Monday. I don't know if this is funny or downright st****. Either the guy in charge of the packaging is claustrophobic that he is concerned with the USB stick or they have excess big boxes.

Coral ensemble

Read BBC's report on a coral spectacle about to happen. Call it a coral orgy that will make waves (no pun intended) near the Republic of Palau. Researchers will take advantage of this phenomena and conduct a study on the viability of coral seeding.

Shady skepticism

Climate change skeptics argue that cosmic activities which are beyond human control affect climate change. These random cosmic activities affect cloud formation which render the unpredictability of climate change. Recent research findings, however, debunk this theory.

I remember watching 'The Great Global Warming Swindle,' a film that seems to be the antithesis of 'The Inconvenient Truth.' The former argues that human-induced climate change is negligible, and sunspots and not CO2 is the culprit. And because we cannot control sunspot activity, climate change is beyond our control.

Try 'youtube -ing' for The Great Global Warming Swindle and see the other side of the fence.

Shape complex futures

Ms second semester as a graduate student is starting today. The last semester was tough. So little time, so much to do, so much to learn. We are 23 students from 18 different countries congregating to shape complex futures.

The Master of Science in Environmental Governance (MEG) programme is offered at the University of Freiburg in Germany. Other than the science, management, and policies, environment issue is a governance issue. We can only know so much of our environment and there's still much to learn and discover. Management schemes and policies rely on these facts. Governance enters into the picture to optimize what we know and what we have.

Governance is not limited to the government. It includes organizations, the church, NGOs, the business sector. It includes you and me.

Which is which?

Climate change, biodiversity, and food crisis. These are probably the three most trendy terms and environmental issues lately. Given your limited resources, which would you 'fix' first? Do we cut out CO2 emmisions? Conserve the panda? Feed the hungry? Or produce cleaner fuel?

We were taught to have a 'holistic' view on development management. Include the three pillars of sustainable development in our decision-making. How doable is it actually with limited money, knowledge, and skills? How whole is holistic? These are not only the questions you and I probably wonder. These are the same questions UN bodies, governments, and other decision-makers struggle with when talking about environmental issues day in and day out.

War over food?

Hopefully it won't come to that extent. But violence has erupted in some countries like over soaring food prices. In my country, the Philippines, the price of rice has almost doubled since I left last year.

Visit The Economist online for the report and a quick look on the statistics.

Food for thought

Here is an article on what should be done to win the combat against rising food prices. It is a 'comprehensive-enough' essay that gives one an overview of the issue. However, the conclusions arrived at by the author focuses merely on the supply side. The demand side is not dealt with, such as providing livelihood to increase purchasing power and population management.

Toss coin

Priorities. That's what our lives ideally should be organized through. Do you eat your breakfast and forget about getting late? Stay in a company, earn money, and climb up the corporate ladder? Or leave for another country, study, start anew and expand your horizons?

The same is need in our environment and biodiversity. With the millions of species and hundreds of them on the brink of extinction, which one do we save first? If you have the rest of the world shrunk to the size of your back yard, and you only have once chance to save a small parcel of your lot, which one do you choose? Your corner of wild orchids or the pine tree center piece? If you have come to a decision, your neighbor might ask, why did you did you choose such? Your other neighbor might ask (you have nosy neighbors!), how do you protect it? And when your parents-in-law visit, they ask, what do you have the money to protect it? Finally (hopefully!) the local authority asks, when will you start protecting it (you live in a nosy neighborhood, actually)?

Think now. And think fast. Need some leading clues? The Economist's Green.view

And if I pass by and see your garden, I might ask, did you see your neighbor's backyard? It's clean off the weeds you are growing!

Mapping Madagascar

The animated movie of the same name portrayed the island with party-loving lemurs, a naive zebra, and a lion undergoing identity crisis. With the rich biodiversity of the island, the issue that is raised is which areas to protect. Experts leave the answer to a computer, which should be able to pinpoint the upper 10% priority area, inclusive of the biodiversity of the species and the diversity of their respective required habitats.

Read the full article at the BBC website.

It may not be the kind where you can watch the animated film through video-straming, but this is what I call an extensive hotspot coverage!

GEO BON

The Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Network, or GEOBON for short (why do I have the feeling it is an observatory), is a network that aims to use data from different organizations to improve human life. It will coordinate existing and future efforts on biodiversity. Researchers can mainly benefit from the 'open-source' information it will create. I am just wary of security/privacy issues with this global database. Think national ID for biodiversity.

Planet Diversity

Local, diverse, GMO-free.

This is the banner of Planet Diversity Conference. It is one of the events leading to the CoP9 on the CBD in Bonn, Germany. The event will be held prior to the CBD, that is 12 to 16 May 2006, also in Bonn. The conference will tackle pressing issues on food and agriculture.

World food crisis

Reports abound on the looming world food crisis. One of the arguments raised that causes this phenomenon is the increased production and use of biofuels. This reason seems to have a positive feedback loop. Main arguments raised on this issue is the use of agriculture products for fuel production instead of food supply. Second is the shift in crops planted from food crops to biofuels. Third is the conversion of agricultural land into 'biofuels' land.

If farmers find it more profitable to plant crops for biofuels, no policy could stop them from doing so.

IUCN World Conservation Congress

In addition to the biodiversity discussions during the Conference of Parties 9 next month, IUCN is also holding the World Conservation Congress in Barcelona on 5-14 October 2008. If you are a student, start the conservation through your allowance of 100 Euros to register. In my case, I am looking for possible sponsors to shoulder my registration expenses, though I might be in the thick of my internship by the time. But who knows? Don't be surprised if you bump into me along Las Ramblas.

Religion and Environment

How do the two topics fit together? Are your actions driven by your world view, philosophy, or faith? Are Buddhists and Shintos more environment-friendly than Catholics?

Know the role of religion in environmental governance. My programme is holding a forum on this topic on 18-19 April 2008 in Freiburg, Germany. Admission is free.

Does the environment have hope? Keep the faith.

Last call, missed call, and Samauma's call

It all began with Go 4 Biodiv Youth Summit. Our MEG programme coordinator, Esther Muschelknautz, received an email invitation to the youth summit on January 29, the same day of the deadline for application. I saw it in my email inbox and rushed to complete the application. The working day has almost ended when I finally hit the send button.

Fast forward to almost a month later in Gland, Switzerland. Our class was in Geneva and Gland to visit international organizations with the likes of UNECE, WTO, UNEP, and IUCN. We were at IUCN for the final stretch of our excursion. I checked my phone and "got" a missed call from a number in Germany. I called the number, despite knowing the fact it would be expensive, as soon as I got the chance to sneak out of the room. The guy on the other end of the line told me the good news that I will be participating in the youth summit. He also mentioned that prior to the youth summit, they were also inviting me to a dialogue. This dialogue was the same one I attended last April 3rd in Bonn.

The preparations for the youth summit has kept my holidays fun and productive. I, like the rest of the 49 or so participants from the rest of the globe, have been busy preparing for the event, from responding to Samauma's Call, "taking photos" (which is a personal hobby!) of cultural and biodiversity in our area, and answering key questions on the issue.

Now I am looking forward to answering the next call to come my way.

Guide to the CBD

To brush up on my knowledge for the upcoming CoP9 on biodiversity, I've been reading 'Governing Global Biodiversity: the evolution and implementation of the Convention on Biodiversity.' The editor, Philippe G. Le Prestre, oversaw the contribution of 16 different authors.

I am only close to finishing the first chapter that relates the story of the biodiversity convention. The introduction, penned by the editor himself, traces the origin of the biodiversity through a conservation treaty. Biodiversity has now come a long way to discussing intellectual property rights, trade, technology transfer, human health, and culture.

What I have picked up from the first 30 pages of the book affirms the whole gamut of clashing interests not only in the issue of biodiversity but also environment in general.

Pinoy ethics

What is the Filipino 'world view' on the environment?

As a Filipino, I've always hoped there's a document to affirm my own theories on how we relate to the environment. I serendipitously stumbled on Environmental Ethics, Chapter 8 of Leonardo Mercado's book on The Filipino Mind.

My education and professional training in project evaluation has entailed me to think logically from a Western perspective. Do we capture the Filipino's environmental psyche as we plan and implement our projects? Do indigenous knowledge, skills, and practices fit snugly into the so-called logical framework?

No trespassing

BBC reports of a Swiss lynx spotted in Italy. Lynx population was wiped out in the land of pizza and pasta to protect the livestock last century, yet it was reintroduced in Switzerland in the 70's.

In this case, what could be the 'appropriate' conservation option? To begin with, why was it justifiable to reintroduce the lynx in Switzerland? Has the lynx's mobility patterns been studied, such as this crossing over to Italian borders? To what extent will the ecological system be disrupted had they just wiped out the whole population of the lynx?

These are just some of the veils of uncertainty that wrap the biodiversity discussion.

Mammoth on my mind

Climate Change And Human Hunting Combine To Drive The Woolly Mammoth Extinct

ScienceDaily (2008-04-01) -- Climate models together with population models provide quantitative evidence that the combined effects of climate change and anthropogenic pressures can explain the extinction of the woolly mammoths.

The article should have pointed out that it is natural and not man-made climate change that forced the population of mammoths to dwindle to a critical point. In this age of climate change discussion, let us keep our focus on anthropogenic climate change and not climate change per se.

The importance of biodiversity

Take a look at IUCN's January 2008 magazine that focuses on biodiversity. The title asks, 'A world without biodiversity?' One professor in my university raised the argument that biodiversity is a 'symbolic problem.' Does it actually matter if the panda slides into the pit of extinction? Did the world change when the last Dodo died? While I'm at it, for diversity's sake, shall we bring the dinosaurs back to life? On the other hand, imagine a world of uniformity. But that is begging the question. Are you willing to look like the guy beside you? For possible answers to those questions and a crash course on the topic, click here.

BBC reports global temperatures 'to decrease'

I wonder how this report from BBC News fits into the model of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. These kinds of phenomena undermine the accuracy of models, like the one used to forecast climate change and temperature. I hope El Nino and El Nina are not reduced to lowly dummy variables.

Taking the big dip

This blog was borne out of my recent 'serious' involvement with environmental issues. The other night, I was invited as a youth representative 'expert' to a political dialogue on "Biodiversity and Poverty Eradication" in Bonn. Among the invited panelists are German Federal Economic Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, UNEP Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director Angela Cropper, and leading scientific adviser Prof. Jeffrey Sayer. Invited guests from Kenya, Ethiopia, academe, and business sector also graced the event.

How did it feel to talk in front of more than 300 people. Read all about it here. I wish I could get more feedback from my five minutes of fame.

The invitation came as an added engagement after I got selected to participate in the Go 4 Biodiv International Youth Summit 2008 from May 16 to 26. After the youth summit we will troop to the Conference of Parties 9 (CoP9) of the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) in Bonn from May 26-31.

In my application to the youth summit, I mentioned that "I can contribute to a fertile discussion of our different (world) views of the environment and our interactions with it. This is not to provide a solution, but to put into perspective, through reflection, our human-environment interactions." How can you and I go about this? You don't have to take a great plunge into environmental issues. Be cautious as one can drown in all its technicalities and politics. One step at a time. For now you can test the waters with me as I take a small dip.