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Consumerism and Air Pollution in the Philippines |
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What comes to mind when you think of the Philippines?
Manny Pacquiao, Lea Salonga, tarsiers, islands,beaches perhaps... We, Filipinos are thought of as "Western Asians". We speak an Austronesian language that sounds Malay, yet most of us are Catholic, fluent in English and generally "Western" in bearing and inclination. Brought about by a large amount of Filipinos abroad (almost 11 million currently, according to the Bureau of Overseas Filipinos, out of a population of a 100 million ) , many Filipinos have developed a colonial mentality. We love to shop everything imported, from chocolates to clothes. This has fueled a frenzy of consumption that has driven our economy to grow by more than 6-7% per annum, one of the highest in Asia. A side effect of this consumption is 1.) DEVELOPMENT. If you look up to the Wikipedia page on the largest shopping malls in the world, you'll see that most of the "largest" malls in the world are Filipino brands like SM, Gaisano and Abreeza. 2.) AIR POLLUTION. As income continues to rise here in our country, more and more people buy vehicles as a way to further social mobility. Cars are everywhere and public transport systems such as the Light Rail Transit train system and the traditional jeepneys are fast becoming a thing of the past. Cars, as all of us know, contribute largely to greenhouse gas emissions and is a major cause of concern by people who want to combat pollution. Recently, former VP of the USA, Al Gore, visited Tacloban City, Leyte. Tacloban was the site of the famous return of Gen. Douglas McArthur in the Philippines to liberate it from the Japanese and more recently, the Ground Zero of Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most destructive cyclones in the world. For perspective, Hurricane Katrina was thought of as a "weak cousin" of Haiyan. VP Gore called on Filipinos to lead the fight and champion the cause of environmentalism, as we, as a people, are one of the most affected countries by climate change. With the arrival of major shopping malls in my city (Zamboanga) , I have also come to notice a spike in foot and car traffic in the city. Smog, usually confined to the days when the Indonesian haze blowing in from Sumatra during the early months of the year, are now normal in the city center. Recently, KCC Zamboanga , a 120,000 sq. m. behemoth mall complex, opened with 5 floors of shopping space anchored by many international brands. For many, it is a shining testament of the Philippines' economic headway. Yet, it comes with a cost. Power and water supplies are dwindling from the lack of rain, and air pollution is only exacerbated by the El Nino, as more and more Filipinos flock to shopping malls to avoid the crippling summer heat. We used to have one of the more famous stargazing sites around the country, but now smoke, coupled with light and air pollution, has reduced visibility and many stargazers hike to isolated mountain ranges now in order to see the stars.
With development and more money flowing in, it's easy to see that the Philippines is on the right path. Yet, it comes with a compromise with Mother Nature. We need to further intensify our efforts to plant more trees, and foster a culture not defined by money, but by a love for the environment. We need to promote sustainable development. Peace and love from the Philippines! Till next time :) |
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7 Comments
Heonjun, our country straddles the Pacific Ring of Fire , hence we have a lot of volcanoes and seismic activity in the country. Cyclones and typhoons brewing in the Pacific Ocean also make landfall first in our eastern seaboard. Recently, the COP21 conference in Paris highlighted our vulnerability to adverse weather conditions. Sure thing about the pics, next article I promise :)
Minjoo, great idea but in developing societies such as ours, car ownership is a status symbol and Philippine society, for the most part, is still enjoying new-found prosperity that innovative ideas are often neglected in favor of worldly comfort
Posted 25-03-2016 17:47
I totally agree with technological invention and modernization process we are having development but most of the times at the cost of our environment.
I am hopeful Phillipines focusses on sustainable development not merely development.
Thank you for well written report dear Abdelaliz :)
Posted 22-03-2016 23:50
I loved this beautifull piece of writing! Keep it up :)
Posted 22-03-2016 02:24
Beautiful depiction of writing, I loved your report. You have cleverly written the report giving your personal touch while providing vivid picture of country's air pollution level. I am so happy our views do math. And I wish Al Gore would make a visit to Nepal as well. We Nepalese as well share similar faith , increasing sophisticated life style and lesser concern to environment.
Posted 22-03-2016 00:54
Abdelaziz, I like your own creative aspect about relating consumerism and environmental pollution. As people became wealthier than before, they have more chance to shop various items from domestic to foreign ones. It is a good news that people are living a convenient life, but we need to acknowledge that there's pollution behind that convenience. I hope more shopping malls could use some of their profit to solve air pollution. For instance, they can encourage people to use public transporatation by providing free delivery service to ones who buy more than a certain amount. Then people will be free of the burden of driving cars for carrying what they have bought. Anyways, thanks for posting and have a great day :-)
Posted 21-03-2016 23:28
Development is good for overall progress of the country and economic growth but it should not be at cost of environment, it should be sustainable development. You are right people, government and organisations need to put in efforts towards tree plantation and using less vehicles to improve the air pollution status.Thanks for the great report.
Posted 21-03-2016 19:55
Thank you for writing this easy to read report Abdelaziz. I like the part where you say stargazing sites are now gone, it's somewhat poetic :D though the reality itself is of course undesirable. VP al gore's speech makes me pose a question, how is the Philippines one of the most affected countries by the environmental change? I do not know much about the country and how climate change and other issues would alter the way the people live. I would love to know, please show us more about the country on the next report! thanks!
Posted 21-03-2016 19:37