Use Your Power to BreakFree from Fossil Fuels

Today’s youth are playing an active role in  the global dialogue on climate change to protect environment and to find solutions to climate change. On the occasion of International Youth Day, we’re happy to share a beautifully written deep thoughts by a 14 year young man Justin Federigan. Well, when I was a teenager I was playing stupid video games, and he is playing Climate Change volunteer (wow.!! My Goodness). I hope this blog awake the adult and inspire more youth to act on climate change issues, as together we can and we will make a difference.

Here goes Justin N C Federigan:

Our one and only earth is currently dying due to the effects of climate change. The causes of this drastic event, climate change, are due to increase of Green House Gases (GHG) such as carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, and water vapor. In the Philippines, currently we are using less renewable energy than non-renewable energy such as coal, gas, and oil or known as fossil fuel as sources of energy. Fossil fuels are non-renewable energy, which means that coal, gas, and oil are minerals that are consumed faster than it can be naturally produced by the environment.

The Dr. Jean Lindo, once said, “There is no such thing as clean coal.” Yes, I myself agree with Dr. Lindo. Coal is not clean and will never be clean. Coal is just one of the three fossil fuels used to be turned into energy. The other two are Gas and Oil. Coal, gas, and oil, also known as Fossil Fuels, contain a huge amount of carbon (C), and once it is in the atmosphere where oxygen (O) is present, it will turn into carbon dioxide (CO2). The more we burn these fossil fuels and turn them into energy; we pollute the atmosphere with more and more carbon dioxide. In addition, we cut down trees and we do not replace them. The more we do these, we have more carbon dioxide in our atmosphere and the temperature at the surface increase. Why? It is because carbon dioxide traps the heat from the sun causing the atmosphere to be warm. This is what you call the “Green House Effect” which is a good thing. However the bad news comes next, the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes the extreme increase of temperature at the surface. This is “Global Warming.”

Recently in Davao City, the southernmost city of the Philippines, two coal-power plants were launched and each power plant can generate 175 megawatts (175MW). These two power plants is part of the Phase II of AboitizPower’s Therma South Incorporated’s (TSI) Project. However, rotational brown-outs in Davao City are still happening. Aboitiz mentioned that the reason for the rotational brown-out is that the water level in major National Power Corporation-Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (NPC-PSALM) hydro power plants is below the critical level due to the extreme heat caused by El Niño. Surprisingly, El Niño is one of the effects of climate change. So what/who really is the cause of climate change? Sad to say, it is us, humans, who cause all of these to happen. The increase of institutions emitting extreme carbon to the atmosphere, increase in cutting down trees and not replacing them, these mistakes we do increases the effects of climate change which includes, global warming or known in our country as “El Niño”.

Climate change is here to stay from now until tomorrow. Have you heard about the quote “The Youth is the Hope of the Future”? This single quote shows that the youth can still do something about it. Even if you are young, do not be afraid to do your best in saving our one and only earth. Young or old, we can still make a difference. It is never too late to start helping one another. There is still time. There is still hope. We can still make a difference. So, I urge each and every one of you to reflect on our daily lives and see how we can change the way we live. The change in the way we live will not definitely stop climate change but it will slow down the effects of it. Let us use our power to try to stop, try to help, and do our best to make our one and only earth a better place to live in.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Justin N C Federigan, is currently involved with the Philippine Youth Climate Movement and the Let’s Do It Philippines-Youth as a volunteer. He was recently elected as one of the fourteen (14) Global Children Board Members and the only one from the Philippines, of the Plant-for-the-Planet Foundation (based in Germany) for 2017-2018 and will soon organize Plant-for-the-Planet Academy in the Philippines, particularly in Southern Mindanao.

 Thank you Justin for sharing this with Greening Asia, so proud of you 🙂