Some months ago, while I was in the United States as part of the Friends, Partners, Allies reporting program, our group of visiting Filipino journalists had the chance to visit the East-West Center in Hawaii and we were told about the conference in Manila. We were all excited to go.One of the sessions I was looking forward to attending but was unable to was the part on “New Climate Perspectives.”
She said such push has the potential to do more harm than good, particularly in areas where Indigenous Peoples’ land is exploited. Some projects, including hydropower, have the potential to displace the local communities without their consent.But as Carling said, more funding needs to be directed to proven community-based renewable energy projects that involve indigenous communities so they may have a greater sense of ownership.
The East-West report quoted Veitayaki as saying that Indigenous Peoples of the Pacific have long practiced sustainable methods of living that conserve natural resources. The founder of Mission Blue, an organization that is working to build a worldwide network of protected marine areas called “Hope Spots,” Earle detailed how the ocean plays a crucial role in maintaining the earth’s climate through what is called “blue carbon,” a term coined to convey the fact that more than half of all biological carbon kept out of Earth’s atmosphere is captured by living organisms in the sea.
Veteran power energy executive Emmanuel Rubio is taking the reins at Meralco PowerGen Corp. as its new president and...