President Benigno S. Aquino III will lead the inauguration of the Climate Change Academy in Albay on Friday in connection with the observance of the Climate Change Consciousness week.

This year’s climate change observance will have a theme “convergence on climate change” which is expected to elicit a higher level of climate change consciousness among media practitioners and eventually the general public.

In a press briefing in Malacanang on Tuesday, Albay Gov. Joey Salceda underscored the importance of institutionalizing the fight against climate change as well as raising public awareness through the media.

“Ang Climate Change Academy is first of its kind in the world, wala pa pong ganyan sa buong mundo. It’s essentially a knowledge management institution,” Salceda said.

Given the vulnerability of the Philippines, being the third most vulnerable country in the world, Salceda said battling or reducing the impacts of climate change is a paramount concern of the government.

“Mahalaga po lalung-lalo na para sa atin na para hindi natin makalimutan yung ating mga natutunan noong Ondoy at Pepeng na halos 3 percent ng GDP [gross domestic product] ang nawala sa isang iglap, wala pa sa anim na oras ay nasira ang buong GDP, yung kinayod ng buong ekonomiya for one year sa loob ng anim na oras nawala po dahil sa isang bagyo,” he said noting the impact of typhoons to the country’s economy.

Other countries that send their participants to the Climate Change Academy in Albay include those from Laos, Myanmar, Kenya, Nepal and many others, Salceda said.

Also, the local government of Albay is also holding the Philippine Media Conference on Climate Change Adaptation on November 24 to 26 that will gather media practitioners and foreign correspondents for a three-day workshop to tackle climate change and the impacts of natural disasters.

The workshop is aimed at promoting the importance of awareness to climate vulnerabilities and the need to accelerate the achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at the local level. It will also advocate the use of science-based analytical and planning tools on climate change adaptation and disaster risk management.

Among the expected participants include the Philippine Information Agency, Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines, the Malacanang Press Corps and other media organizations.

The three-day gathering is sponsored by the Provincial government of Albay, Climate Change Commission, Presidential Communications Operations Office, Presidential Adviser for Environmental Protection, Presidential Adviser on Climate Change, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Department of Science and Technology (DOST), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Kapisanan ng mga Broadcaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), National Press Club (NPC), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Spanish government. (PCOO)

Source: http://piadispatch.blogspot.com/2011/11/pia-news-dispatch-tuesday-november-22.html

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