Exporters told to adjust to climate change

THE government is seriously considering adopting a policy aimed at promoting disaster-risk reduction, especially in the country’s mining and logging industries, and encouraging the private sector to implement safe industry practices to protect the environment and industry workers.

This was disclosed by Anthony Golez, presidential deputy spokesperson, during a Cabinet briefing recently on what the government is doing to prepare the country, particularly private business, on the effects of climate change.

Golez said countries all over the world, rich and poor, have policies on safe industry practices. “The important thing is to institute them very well,” he said.

The policy signal came on the heels of a warning given by the country’s umbrella group of exporters regarding the devastating effects of climate change on the way business is done in the country and the need to make corporate adjustments for local industries to survive.

Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr., president of the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc., the country’s umbrella organization of exporters, said drastic climate changes will hit resource-based industries like mining and logging the hardest, their long-term viability threatened. Ortiz-Luis made the warning during the national conference of exporters in a hotel in Manila.

He said that with the grim effects of climate change already felt here, local businesses like the food, furniture, handicrafts, home accessories and fashion-jewelry industries could only survive if they take actions to adjust to the situation.

Outside of electronics, machine parts and garments, he said, the resource and favorable climate-based exports are most vulnerable to the drastic changes in weather patterns.

“Environment experts say climate change is inevitable. The typhoon-spawned rains that flooded a big swathe of Metro Manila and surrounding provinces on September 26 is proof that the phenomenon is upon us,” Ortiz-Luis warned.

Weathermen said rain poured in less than one day what was normally the amount of rain the country receives in one month.

“The changing climate pattern in the country, plus more stringent health, safety and environment requirements of foreign buyers for Philippine exports, will force indigenous exporters to grow or produce their own raw materials and adopt the best farming practices,” he said.

As adaptation measures, he suggested that food processors, furniture makers and other producers of exportable products made mostly of indigenous materials should find ways of producing raw materials either by themselves, as industry groups or in partnership with other stakeholders like farmers, mountain dwellers and their cooperatives.

He said the next President should prioritize the enactment of a national land-use plan that includes a national crop-zoning plan. This will rationalize the use of the country’s limited land resources dovetailed to its development thrusts.

The plan, he added, should take into consideration the changing weather patterns in different parts of the country.

He also called on the environment department to open public denuded forests for private investments in their reforestation. He said the latest estimate is it will cost at least P13 trillion to reforest the bald mountains in the country, which is equivalent to the national budget for eight years. Philexport News and Features