MODULE 4

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

1. Students should have a basic knowledge of global warming and climate change.
2. To have an awareness of the role of youth in environmental protection.
3. That students may be involved in various activities about environmental protection.

Benedictine Value Focus: STEWARDSHIP (PANGANGASIWA)

At its core, the Rule seeks to foster a fundamental reverence toward God's creation. St. Benedict
exhorts his followers to regard all the monastery's tools and goods as the altar's sacred vessels (RB
31.10). Benedictine monastics do not simply use up what has been given to them, nor do they aim
to live in poverty. Instead, they prize good stewardship, the respectful use of material things for the
good of all, with a special eye to frugality, integrity of form and function, and beauty's capacity to
communicate God's presence and power.

In Benedictine educational institutions, we seek to foster awareness that we are part of a larger
ecology and that the environment – human and non-human – has been given by God for the sake of
all. We encourage the creative and sustainable use of resources and their just distribution for the
good of all. We seek to sharpen awareness of noteworthy contributions – past and present – to the
well-being of society and the earth itself, trying to keep the memory and practice of human
creativity and generosity strong. At every turn, we strive to promote the study and practice of the
arts, aware of their capacity to bring all to a more profound recognition of the nature and purpose
of life itself.

Republic Act No. 9512

AN ACT TO PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL

EDUCATION AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled::

Section 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the "National Environmental Awareness and
Education Act of 2008".

Section 2. Declaration of Policy. - Consistent with the policy of the State to protect and advance
the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony
of nature, and in recognition of the vital role of the youth in nation building and the role of
education to foster patriotism and nationalism, accelerate social progress, and promote total
human liberation and development, the state shall promote national awareness on the role of
natural resources in economic growth and the importance of environmental conservation and
ecological balance towards sustained national development.

Section 3. Scope of Environmental Education. - The Department of Education (DepEd), the

Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority (TESDA), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in coordination
with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Department of Science
and Technology (DOST) and other relevant agencies, shall integrate environmental education in its
school curricula at all levels, whether public or private, including in barangay daycare, preschool,
non-formal, technical vocational, professional level, indigenous learning and out-of-school youth
courses or programs. Environmental education shall encompass environmental concepts and
principles, environmental laws, the state of international and local environment, local
environmental best practices, the threats of environmental degradation and its impact on human
well-being, the responsibility of the citizenry to the environment and the value of conservation,
protection and rehabilitation of natural resources and the environment in the context of sustainable
development. It shall cover both theoretical and practicum modules comprising activities, projects,
programs including, but not limited to, tree planting; waste minimization, segregation, recycling
and composting; freshwater and marine conservation; forest management and conservation;
relevant livelihood opportunities and economic benefits and other such programs and undertakings
to aid the implementation of the different environmental protection law.

Section 4. Environmental Education and Activities as Part of National Service Training

Program. - The CHED and the TESDA shall include environmental education and awareness
programs and activities in the National Service Training Program under Republic Act No. 9163, as
part of the Civic Welfare Training Service component required for all baccalaureate degree courses
and vocational courses with a curriculum of at least two (2) years.

Section 5. Declaration of Environmental Awareness Month. - Pursuant to the policy set forth in
this Act, the month of November of every year shall be known as the "Environmental Awareness
Month" throughout the Philippines.

Section 6. Interagency and Multi-sectoral Effort. - The DepEd, CHED, TESDA, DENR, DOST and
other relevant agencies, in consultation with experts on the environment and the academe, shall
lead in the implementation of public education and awareness programs on environmental
protection and conservation through collaborative interagency and multi-sectoral effort at all
levels.

The DENR shall have the primary responsibility of periodically informing all agencies concerned on
current environmental updates, including identifying priority environmental education issues for
national action and providing strategic advice on the environmental education activities. The
DepEd, CHED, TESDA, DENR, DOST, DSWD and barangay units shall ensure that the information is
disseminated to the subject students.

The DOST is mandated to create programs that will ensure that students receive science-based
quality information on environmental issues to encourage the development of environment-
friendly solutions, devices, equipment and facilities.

Section 7. Capacity-Building. - The DepEd, CHED and TESDA, in coordination with the DENR and
other relevant agencies, shall undertake capacity-building programs nationwide such as trainings,
seminars, workshops on environmental education, development and production of environmental
education materials, and teacher-education courses and related livelihood programs.

Section 8. Separability Clause. - If any part, section or provision of this Act shall be held invalid or
unconstitutional, the other provisions shall not be affected thereby.
Section 9. Repealing Clause. - All other acts, laws, executive orders, presidential issuances, rules
and regulations or any part thereof which are inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or
modified accordingly.

Section 10. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official
Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO 579

ENCOURAGING THE FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF GREEN PHILIPPINES

PROGRAMS THROUGH THE NATIONAL SERVICE TRAINING PROGRAM (NSTP)

WHEREAS, the Philippines is a young nation; our people are young, those under 30 years old make
up sixty-five (65%) percent of the population;

WHEREAS, it is the youth of this nation who have the energy to make their visions come true;

WHEREAS, it is the time for the younger generation to be actively involved in civic life, and be
responsible for their own future;

WHEREAS, the Arroyo Administration is calling for a New Vision for Young Nation;

NOW, THEREFORE, I GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Republic of the Philippines,

by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:

Section 1. The National Service Training Program (NSTP) shall endeavor to build a new quality of
life that will keep the nation young and beautiful. In order to ensure its realization, all students
under NSTP, Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), Literacy Training Services (LTS), and Civic
Welfare Training Service (CWTS), shall be involved in Green Philippines Activities which include
among others:

a) Taking back our forests and replenishing fallen trees with new, protected forests;

b) Beautifying our barangays and cities;

c) Building more urban parks and recreation areas;

d) Purifying our water;

e) Cleaning up industrial sites;

Section 2. At least 36 hours per semester or 72 hours in case of one summer program shall be
dedicated for the implementation of the activities enumerated under Section 1 hereof.
Section 3. The Chair of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) shall act as the Lead
Implementor of this Order, assisted by the Chair of the National Youth Commission (NYC).

Section 4. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Local Government Units
(LGUs) shall assist the schools in identifying the areas where the Green Philippines Activities of the
NSTP shall be implemented.

Section 5. All other executive issuances, orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent
with this Executive Order are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Section 6. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately upon publication in two (2)
newspaper of general circulation and shall be implemented starting on the first (1st) semester of
school year 2007-2008.

CLIMATE CHANGE

A. Climate Change ... How do we know it’s real?

The Earth's climate has changed throughout history. Just in the last 650,000 years, there have been
seven cycles of glacial advance and retreat, with the abrupt end of the last ice age about 7,000 years
ago marking the beginning of the modern climate era and human civilization. Most of these climate
changes are attributed to minimal variations in Earth’s orbit that change the amount of solar energy
our planet receives.

The heat-trapping nature of carbon dioxide and other gases was demonstrated in the mid-19th
century. Their ability to affect the transfer of infrared energy through the atmosphere is the
scientific basis of many instruments flown by NASA. There is no question that increased levels of
greenhouse gases must cause the Earth to warm in response.

Ice cores drawn from Greenland, Antarctica, and tropical mountain glaciers show that the Earth’s
climate responds to changes in greenhouse gas levels. Ancient evidence can also be found in tree
rings, ocean sediments, coral reefs, and layers of sedimentary rocks. This ancient, or paleoclimate,
evidence reveals that current warming is occurring roughly ten times faster than the average rate of
ice-age-recovery warming.

B. The evidence for rapid climate change is compelling: Global temperature rise

1. Warming Oceans
The oceans have absorbed much of this increased heat, with the top 700 meters (about
2,300 feet) of the ocean warming by 0.302 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969.

2. Shrinking ice sheets

The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass. Data from NASA's Gravity
Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland lost an average of 281 billion tons of ice
 per year between 1993 and 2016, while Antarctica lost about 119 billion tons during the
same time period. The rate of Antarctica ice mass loss has tripled in the last decade

3. Glacial Retreat
Glaciers are retreating almost everywhere worldwide — including in the Alps, the
Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska, and Africa.

4. Sea Level Rise

The global sea level rose about 8 inches in the last century. The rate in the previous two
decades, however, is nearly double that of the last century

5. Extreme Events
The number of record high-temperature events in the United States has been increasing,
while the number of record low-temperature events has decreased since 1950. The U.S. has
also witnessed increasing numbers of extreme rainfall events.

6. Greenhouse Effect

C. The Role of Human Activity

The industrial activities that our modern civilization depends upon have raised atmospheric carbon
dioxide levels from 280 parts per million to 400 parts per million in the last 150 years. There's a
better than 95 percent probability that human-produced greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide,
methane, and nitrous oxide have caused much of the observed increase in Earth's temperatures
over the past 50 years.
Solar Irradiance

Several lines of evidence show that current global warming cannot be explained by changes in
energy from the sun:

• Since 1750, the average amount of energy from the sun either remained constant or
increased slightly.
• If the warming were caused by a more active sun, scientists would expect warmer
temperatures in all layers of the atmosphere. Instead, they have observed a cooling in the
upper atmosphere and a warming at the surface and in the lower parts of the atmosphere.
That's because greenhouse gases are trapping heat in the lower atmosphere.
• Climate models that include solar irradiance changes can’t reproduce the observed
temperature trend over the past century without a rise in greenhouse gases.

D. Effects

The global climate is projected to change over this century and beyond. The magnitude of climate
change beyond the next few decades depends primarily on the amount of heat-trapping gases
emitted globally and how sensitive the Earth’s climate is to those emissions.
The temperature will continue to rise:

• Because human-induced warming is superimposed on a naturally varying climate, the

temperature rise has not been, and will not be, uniform or smooth across the country or
over time.

Frost-free season (and growing season) will lengthen:

• The length of the frost-free season (and the corresponding growing season) has been
increasing nationally since the 1980s, with the most significant increases occurring in the
western United States, affecting ecosystems and agriculture. Across the United States, the
growing season is projected to lengthen.

More droughts and heat waves:

• Droughts in the Southwest and heat waves (periods of abnormally hot weather lasting days
to weeks) are projected to become more intense, with cold waves less severe everywhere.
• Summer temperatures are projected to continue rising, and a reduction of soil moisture,
which exacerbates heat waves, is projected for much of the western and central U.S. in
summer. By the end of this century, what have been once-in-20-year extreme heat days
(one-day events) are projected to occur every two or three years over most of the nation.

Typhoons will become stronger and more intense:

• The intensity, frequency, and duration of North Atlantic hurricanes and the frequency of the
strongest (Category 4 and 5) hurricanes have increased since the early 1980s. The relative
contributions of human and natural causes to these increases are still uncertain. Hurricane-
associated storm intensity and rainfall rates are projected to increase as the climate
continues to warm.
Sea level will rise 1-4 feet by 2100:

• The global sea level has risen by about 8 inches since reliable record-keeping began in 1880.
It is projected to grow another 1 to 4 feet by 2100. This is the result of added water from
melting land ice and the expansion of seawater as it warms.

E. 7 Environmental Principles

1. Everything is connected to everything else.

• The ecosystem is the basic functional unit of nature
• is the interaction of the community (living components) and the non-living
environment.

2. All forms of life are essential (thus, the need for biodiversity).
• All organisms have a role in the ecosystem (niche)

3. Everything must go somewhere (thus, too much can cause pollution).

• Waste Management
• Environmental Management Systems

4. Ours is a finite earth (thus, the need for conservation).

Preservation Conservation Sustainable

(No touch) (Wise Use) development

5. Nature knows best (thus, the need for ecological technology).

• “Nature must be obeyed first before it can be commanded.”
• Humans should first understand nature and follow its laws
• Humans should not go against natural processes if we want a sustained yield of
natural resources

6. Nature is beautiful, and we are stewards of God’s creation.

• Divinity in all forms of life.
• Religion is one of the most influential aspects that affect values and the
environment.

7. Everything Changes
• Linear change –the evolution of species
• Cyclical Change –influenced by the time, such as seasons
• Random Change –the eruption of Mt Pinatubo