Thoughts & Actions in Environmental Advocacy

Figure 01, A Young Tree for an Environmental Advocate Treasure (credit, CDA Aman)

“This article paper composition is part of the article published, “Hypocrisy of Environmental Advocacy Thoughts & Actions in Need” (Gomeseria, RV; Durreesamin Journal, ISSN: 2204-9827, December Vol 4 Issue 3, the Year 2018), however, this edition will tackle and that includes the facing of all relevant policies pertaining to environmental change in the country, which covers natural landscape ecology being altered and destroyed by human activities as part of global challenges in today’s generation, and perhaps, restoration and political will in the present government for the implementation of the existing policies and furtherance towards environmental initiatives.”

“The article paper has been initiated by the author to compose as we can say as 2^nd edition of the published article and share with the people around the world. The topic will discuss and feature our thoughts and necessary actions as an environmental advocate on what we have had observed afflicting biodiversity. Again, this is one of the "Most Read" in the LinkedIn Publishing, ResearchGate and Academia platforms that have been provided based on observation and studies about our environment.”

Insight

Thoughts and actions are in need to understand for us to deliver accurately the message we want to emphasize and address in a manner that can be comprehended by anyone.

The resulting framework for sustainability and environmental advocacy will help in the formulation of the strategic plan on either mitigation or adaptation. However, the behavior and attitudes do help our advocacy which was already explained from many sources as to seek an incremental power of people in making them responsive. But, it is the needs of the community for the changes within the principles gathered that needs to be done for a cause in sustaining a sustainable environment for the next generations with environmental thoughts and actions, perhaps, will satisfy the needs of an advocate.

Facing in the Environmental Change

The hypocrisy of environmental advocacy is not new to everyone but multiplies on all sectors from nowhere. The argument can be related to the birth of a young tree as illustrated in the image above under environmental instinct whereas no one can identify. I supposed that they are aware of what’s happening around the globe because of global warming that affects the whole biodiversity we are living with. Thereby, so many individuals, organizations and communities are links with these behaviors because of the consequences of environmental possibilism ideology into urbanism which suffers from the depletion and degradation of ecological resources worldwide (Gomeseria R V; ‘Environmental Possibilism,” CEAI Viewpoint Journal, March 2018). However, the human-altered landscape will help the community following the discretions of the UNDP Sustainable Development Goals by providing quality life in reinstating the environmental determinism in the modern generation application somehow, and below are the following repercussions which the author wants to emphasize as a means of improvement.

Difficulties and Constraints in Assessing Ecosystem Values

The difficulties that need to be addressed can be summarized into three critical aspects of Ecological Constraints in assessing environmental values as follows;

The idea of the non-native disciplines with the conservation of biological elements, restoration of the ecological perspective, and the environmental engineering use of a "scientific" language that must have normative as well as descriptive content.

Building on the empirical and theoretical work approach that recognizes multiple, fundamental values derived from nature by humans. Seeking associate of particular benefits and classes of costs with the specific natural dynamics which are dominant on various scales of the ecological aspect, and organizes human values according to the environmental constraints, providing multiple criteria of good management which being guided by the numerous amounts.

Risk decision squares devices that help to sort decisions affecting the environment according to an ecologically that is, spatially and temporally sensitive typology of risks involved in a given resolution.

However, through sustainable use, the local communities will have more incentives and better opportunities to manage and save biodiversity, and in the process improve their chance for a better quality of life.

Low Genetic Diversity hence Potential Biodiversity Loss

In general, the low genetic diversity caused whereby the inability of the population to respond to the pathogen. Similarly, none of them had genes that were resistant to the fungus in the environment, and this is because of varieties being produced by crossing two inbred parents together or through transferring from the original location that has been carried out to another place for production. However, if there many diverse types are growing; some would have been likely to contain genes resistant to the fungus so that these types of devastating epidemics can be avoided by maintaining proper levels of genetic diversity in crop populations and making sure that all the plants are not too genetically similar.

As an example, where the endangered species dwindles, it loses the genetic variation even if the species rebounds, still, it's level of genetic variation will not. What’s happening is, the genetic variation will slowly restore through the accumulation of mutations over generations, and thus, the endangered species has a low genetic variation that may risk extinction. Therefore, the risks of destruction or population have been declined because of the small genetic variation which was predicted by evolutionary theory.

Accordingly, the process of domestication as the author has mentioned from one place to another area has tended to decrease the genetic diversity of the selected crop species and this is because of the genetic bottleneck principle whereas imposed when some plants are selected and propagated. Thus, it is an unhealthy situation occurring of such disease based on the environmental condition whereas the genes might not respond to the new threat that causes disease.

Adverse Changes in Ecosystem and Landscape

The relative influence of ecosystem change on human well-being versus other factors and the adverse changes account on the value of any asset which lies in its role in attaining individual goals, whether those goals are spiritual enlightenment, aesthetic pleasure or the production of some marketed commodity. It reflects the preferences of the many individuals in the economy and is measured by their willingness to pay for the services that flow from the asset. And this depends partly on the objective whether for physical or ecological properties of the asset, but also on the socio-economic context in which the valuation takes place on individual institutions, culture, the distribution of income and wealth, technology and so on. The value of ecosystems, like the value of any other asset derives from the services they produce.

However, this is to enhance the understanding of the linkages between the ecosystem condition and functioning, ecosystem services, and the production of goods or services that contribute to human well-being. Ecosystems and the services they provide are, for the most part, intermediate inputs into the products and services that enter final demand that satisfy people’s various desires. As with other intermediate data, their value derives from the cost of those goods and services. To obtain the benefit, nevertheless, it is essential to be able to identify the marginal impact of a change in ecosystem components on the provision of the valued good or services. Part of the research agenda is to understand the degree to which ecosystem components can be substituted and at what cost.

Thoughts & Action on Environmental Change

It is specific to environmental change, including climate variability, which has multiple influences on human health. Direct impacts resulting include the effects of rising temperatures and more intense heatwaves and floods within the affected areas.

The goal within the Environmental Change Related Problems in the Advocacy

The goal is to implement a range of strategies, policies, and measures. The decrease of health vulnerability to the current climate variability and future climate change' in a variety of areas with different health risks is to design and implement the practical measures to protect health under a rapidly changing climate as an advocate.

Approaches

The focus on selecting and prioritizing long-term, cost-effective adaptation strategies, implementing these adaptations in the field, and finally synthesizing and sharing the lessons learned to bring about measurable changes in adaptive capacity including as such: 1) Reduction in the burden of environmental change; 2) Modification on the effect of environmental change; 3) Integration of planning and implementation; and 4) Identification and application of short-term incentives for behavioral change to reduce long-term vulnerability to health impacts.

Advocacy Involvement

It is a wide range of experience in protecting health within the environmental change and related problems that can be carried out by an individual or an inter-sectoral group being a motivated actor for the community.

Futuristic Aspect of Advocacy

Adaptation principles to environmental change, and notably health adaptation and mitigating climate change is at an early stage of development and an explicitly designed to pilot adaptation in a limited number of covered areas, which are subject to the broadest possible range of health vulnerabilities to climate change, and thereby initially have both commitment and capacity to respond.

Exercising Environmental Policies in the Upland Governance

In our advocacy and with the help of the government policies that had been crafted into law will help our vision in the implementation be managed, which have been highlighted for the contingency plan through policy-making to serve for the country’s security that must be addressed and implemented as part of our journey in sustaining a sustainable environment for the country in the next generations as well and quoted, however, can be considered of the followings;

Presidential Decree (PD) No. 705 (1975) - Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines, as amended by PD 1559 (1978) – “the multiple uses of forest lands must be oriented to the development and progress requirements of the country, the advancement of science and technology, and the public welfare; land classification and survey must be systematized and hastened; the establishment of wood-processing plants must be encouraged and rationalized; and the protection, development, and rehabilitation of forest lands must be emphasized so as to ensure their continuity in productive condition.”

Executive Order (EO) No. 263 (1995)- Community-Based Forest Management (CBFM) as the National Strategy to ensure the Sustainable Development of the Country’s Forestland Resources – it is about the creation and the implementation as a national strategy using the community-based forest management in achieving the required sustainable forestry and social justice for the entire land in combating climate change.

EO 23 (2011) – Moratorium on the Cutting and Harvesting of Timber in Natural and Residual Forests – prohibition from issuing logging contracts/agreements and issuing/renewing tree cutting permits in all-natural and residual forests nationwide.

EO 26 (2011) – National Greening Program and EO 193 (2015) – Expanded National Greening Program – which has been detailed based on the present requirement of governance within the ecosystem in the country’s threat of climate change, forests, and forestry in resolving a carbon sink for sustainable industrial development and economic growth.

Republic Act (RA) No. 7586 - NIPAS Act of 1992, as amended by RA 11038 (2018) – encompasses biologically important public lands that are habitats of rare and endangered species of plants and animals, biogeographic zones and related ecosystems, whether terrestrial, wetland or marine as “protected areas.”

PD 1586 (1978) – Environmental Impact Statement System (EISS) – attain and maintain a rational and an orderly balance between the socio-economic growth and environmental protection as a significantly essential part of our life.

RA 9729 - Climate Change Act of 2009 – a framework in the upland governance, which espouses sustainable development, and to fulfill the requirement of human needs in maintaining the quality of the natural environment for current and future generations.

RA 9003 - Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 – providing an ecological solid waste management program by creating the required Waste Management Facilities that will help the community in maintaining and sustaining a sustainable environment.

RA 7942 - Philippine Mining Act of 1995 – enhance national growth in a way that effectively safeguards the environment and protect the rights of affected communities; rehabilitation, regeneration, revegetation, and reforestation of mineralized areas, slope stabilization of mined-out and tailings covered areas, aquaculture, watershed development, and water conservation; and socio-economic development. The intent of the law has to provide protection of the country’s environmental safety and values in securing a sustainable environment within the jurisdiction of the community.

RA 7076 – People’s Small-Scale Mining Act of 1991 – promote, develop, protect the rationalize viable small-scale mining activities in the country for them to generate more employment, opportunities of the people concerned and providing an equitable sharing.

Sustainable Development Goals – integrated and indivisible, global in nature and universally applicable, and take into account different national realities, capacities and levels of development and respecting national policies and priorities with the 17-Goals being designed and identified such as; 1) No Poverty, 2) Zero Hunger, 3) Good Health and Well-Being, 4) Quality Education, 5) Gender Equality, 6) Clean Water and Sanitation, 7) Affordable and Clean Energy, 8) Decent Work and Economic Growth, 9) Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, 10)Reduced Inequalities, 11) Sustainable Cities and Communities, 12) Responsible Consumption and Production, 13) Climate Action, 14) Life Below Water, 15) Life on Land, 16) Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, and 17) Partnerships for the Goals. These will help the upland community through productive and good governance in sustaining the required sustainable environment for the next generation.

Conclusion

With all the discussions, researches, and composition in the preparation of this paper is amazing, and as an advocate has a good chance to know things that are irrelevant in professional practice. However, as an Environmentalist and an Environmental Advocate, the author appreciates the efforts they have contributed to protecting Mother Earth as their advocacy.

In resolving environmental issues which becomes massive nowadays, however, incorporating government law into practice in serving the country’s security will benefit the entire country. Hence, it must be addressed with a dedication that has the political will and advocacy in implementing the rule of law in sustaining a sustainable environment for the next generations will be from our thought and action which is a point of understanding towards hypocrisy.

Moreover, it is the intent to protect our environment with the environmental ethics that must be understood as well as in professional working practice in securing a sustainable environment but for the future generation.

Write-Up References can be Read from this Links;

Gomeseria, RV; (2018, December); "Hypocrisy of Environmental Advocacy Thought and Actions in Need;” Durreesamin Journal (ISSN: 2204-9827) December Vol 4 Issue 3, the Year 2018; Retrieved from; https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330601536_Hypocrisy_of_Environmental_Advocacy_Thought_and_Actions_in_Need

Gomeseria, R. V. (2019, October 4). Thoughts & Actions in Environmental Advocacy. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/8HAEZ