Program

The Conference highlights the latest in policy development and research on climate change.  Plenary speakers are recognized climate change experts from the fields of the natural, physical, social and political sciences.

Day 1: October 22, 2009

Plenary Session 1 - Science of Climate Change

Speaker 1: Dr. Josefina C. Argete

Professor

Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology, UP Diliman

Speaker 2: Dr. Tolentino B. Moya

Associate Professor

Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology, UP Diliman

The objective of this plenary is to establish trends of climate and weather patterns in the recent years that will confirm that we are in the midst of a climate change both globally and locally.  It will also discuss the causes of such changes which will comprise the basis of how we can effectively formulate actions that will delay or, if possibly, reverse the situation.  Furthermore, it will give us a preview of the profound effects of climate change, of things to come, and how the world as we know it will change.

This plenary, thus, serves as the introduction to the succeeding sessions which will expound on specific issues that are borne out of global climate change.  It will also arm participants with an understanding of basic concepts in this field, clarify misconceptions, and dispel biases that will provide the participants with a common ground in the formation of concerted efforts in order to mitigate its effects.

Plenary Session 2 - Social Impact of Climate Change

Speaker: Prof. Natividad F. Lacdan

Associate Professor

Department of Biology, College of Arts & Sciences, UP Manila

This session will introduce the participants to the social impacts of climate change - the effects of climate change on the socio-economic aspect of human life. In particular, this session will focus on:

• • how erratic changes in weather patterns affect particular communities in the country

  • climate change security

  • the concept of sustainable development

Plenary Session 3 - Climate Change Policy: Local and International

Speaker: Prof. Francis Ron De Guzman, Juris Doctor

Instructor

Department of Social Sciences, College of Arts & Sciences, UP Manila

This session will give a brief account of international and national laws related to climate change mitigation. In particular the session will focus on:

• • the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol

  • the various mechanisms provided by the Kyoto Protocol as a means to control/reduce greenhouse gas emissions

  • pollution and emissions control vis-à-vis climate change mitigation

  • prospects of greater commitments to climate change mitigation, the recent COPs in Bali and Poznan and COP15 in Copenhagen

Parallel Sessions: Current Researches and Issues on Climate Change – Philippines in Focus

Oral Presentations:

• • Prof. Jalton Taguibao (Dept. of Social Sciences, College of Arts & Sciences, UP Manila)

"Political obstructions in the development of the Philippines Renewable Energy industry"

• • Prof. Grace Odal-Devora (Dept. of Arts & Communication, College of Arts & Sciences, UP Manila)

"Climate change parallels in Philippine mythology & folklore"

• Prof. Jaime Manuel Flores (Dept. of Communication, Ateneo de Manila University)

"Rules of Engagement: Fostering public engagement on climate change in the Philippines through online media"

Day 2: October 23, 2009

Plenary Session 4 - Green Accounting

Speaker: Dr. Tonie Balangue

President

Resources, Environment and Economics Center for Studies Inc. (REECS)

The economy and the environment are traditionally viewed as separate entities, and improvement in one area comes at a cost borne by the other. Today, common consensus would tell that economic forces are at the root of environmental degradation. Economists, scientists, and resource managers must then look at the economy and consider with it the value of the environment. This value pertains to the functional integrity of the world’s ecosystem, which means that many aspects of the environment also have economic worth.

This session aims to introduce the audience on the basic concepts of green accounting – definition, history, methods; the use of gross domestic products (GDP) vs green accounting (GA). It will also present the status of green accounting in the Philippines and how the country could adopt it.

Plenary Session 5 - Sustainable Production and Sustainable Consumption

Speaker: Dr. Raymond Tan

Professor and University Fellow

Department of Chemical Engineering

College of Engineering, De La Salle University

Systematic methodologies have been developed over the past few decades to quantify the environmental sustainability of human production and consumption activities, and to assist in rational decision-making. These tools are now being used to aid in setting industrial development priorities, government policies and consumer preferences. This plenary talk covers some of the fundamental principles of methods, particularly: 

• Life cycle assessment

• Environmentally extended input-output analysis

• Carbon footprinting

Plenary Session 6 - Impact of Climate Change on Human Health

Speaker: Dr. Lydia R. Leonardo

Professor

College of Public Health, UP Manila

As changes in our climate become increasingly evident, we witness the corresponding emergence of new patterns in disease occurrence.  This can be attributed to the fact that our body’s physiology and immune defenses have yet to adapt and withstand such changes in our environment. It may also be that changes in climate and weather patterns favor a particular vector of an infectious disease.  Or that changes in the availability of food and clean water sources bring about a multitude of nutritional or diarrheal diseases. 

This plenary aims to discuss recent and upcoming changes we expect to see regarding morbidity and mortality in the global and local scene. It will deal also with emerging epidemics and the mechanisms for their distribution and spread; what particular changes in the climate expose us to greater health risks; which among our peoples are at greater risk; and how our health system can handle these changes.

Plenary Session 7 - Green Courts

Speaker: Atty. Nestor Fermin Gadrinab

Supreme Court of the Philippines

This session will present the recently established environmental courts as part of the Green Benches program of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. In particular this session will focus on:

• • the history and creation of the Philippines Green Courts

  • environmental cases filed and decided by the Judiciary

  • environmental litigation as a tool in improving the environmental law system in the country

Plenary Session 8 - Advocacy

Speaker: Dr. Helen Mendoza

Chairperson

Philippine Network on Climate Change

Note: While the flow of the program here will mostly hold true to the Conference and most of the speakers have confirmed their participation, some details of the program may change. This page will be updated as soon as changes are confirmed, and an announcement will be made in the Conference Announcements page.