Hoards of protesting were led by environmental activists in the Philippines, emphasising the need to shut down coal mines for the better of the environment. All citizens of a country don?t want to see dark fumes clouding up a bright blue sky, or the trees that glisten from the sun, or the mountains that seem to stretch perpetually in the distance. The beauty of Mother Nature speaks for itself and in our situation, this is the key aspect of what needs to be preserved and even rehabilitated in the 21st century.

This protest, led by Gloria Capitan, led the avid community of Bataan to the surroundings of an open coal storage facility where they shone their voice on what needed to be fixed - its closure. Groups included Greenpeace, Health Justice Philippines, and the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice. This is for good reason as well. The nation is known to have thirteen coal plants already (34% of power sources are generated from these plants) and 45 more are about to be built. The substance accounts for 43% of carbon emissions or, in other words, 2.7 billion tons of it. Renewable energy is certainly a feasible solution to this especially since the Philippines is rich with these needed to power this, ranging from biomass to solar to geothermal. Progress too, has been made, though outshadowed by nonrenewable modes. 2010 statistics show that it accounted for 26% of electrical generation.

Mindsets need to be changed, not just in the field of what methods we should use for emphasising environmental sustainability, but in the necessity of standing up for ourselves. Just recently, Capitan was shot by anonymous gunmen on motorcycles. Those who were part of her campaign emphasised the mistake of the murder. They reiterated that such an action would not silence her, it would motivate them to persevere in the fight. And this is certainly true. This spark triggered will show the public on what is right and what is needed to be done so that we all as a community can highlight our voice.

On another note, the Philippine government has suspended the operations of several nickel mines due to the environmental and welfare standards not being met. Nickel is a significant resource in the country, as it is the number one supplier to China and prices have increased to a eight-month high of $10,410 per tonne. The companies, Berong Nickel, BenguetCorp Nickel Mines, and Zambales Diversified Metals Corp, are now under scrutiny by government agencies and its officials. Thus, the suspension will only be lifted if their work changes to a different path. Officials are also contemplating and enforcing a month?s ban on other mining explorations (which is thought to be all of them) believed to have similar violations for the aforementioned reasons.

Now, the world we envision can start to emerge. Impacts such as various forms of pollution, ecosystem disturbances, erosions, the formation of sinkholes, chemical contamination of the ground and air can all slowly fade away.