Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Manila (Agenzia Fides) – Climate change threatens to seriously affect large areas of the Philippines, with disastrous consequences for the life of the population. This is the alarm raised by the Church in the Philippines that, at the Copenhagen Summit, recalled the sufferings endured by the Filipino people from the typhoons which have swept the country in 2009.
In a note sent to Fides, the Bishops' Conference of the Philippines points out that rising sea levels due to global warming and climate change, "strongly affect the country's 16 regions, which include 20 provinces and 700 cities," where the population is helpless, exposed to natural disasters and catastrophes. The Bishops insist that "climate change has greatly increased the number of typhoons and storms that hit the Philippines every year," and every typhoon "reminds us of the savage and illegal deforestation that continues to occur in the country." The situation, the bishops note, citing UN figures, has greatly worsened in the last 20 years.
In recent months, with the destructive Typhoon Ondoy that hit Manila and the central part of the island of Luzon, the CBCP already raised the issue of the increasingly frequent social disasters caused by hurricanes, droughts, and volcanic eruptions: all phenomena resulting from the careless work of man, who lacks respect for nature and its laws.
The Philippine Church, moreover, has long promoted protection for the environment, for indigenous people and farmers, and against uncontrolled mining, which is often allowed in concession to foreign multinationals.
"A jolt of conscience and responsibility for the needs of citizens is needed for political leaders and public institutions, both nationally and internationally, in an effort to conserve nature and human life itself." (PA) (Agenzia Fides 14/12/2009)
