MABUHAY! WELCOME!

This is the blogspot for Environmental Governance (version 2.0) of Prof. Ebinezer R. Florano Ph.D. of the University of the Philippines-National College of Public Administration and Governance. This site chronicles the random thoughts of Prof. Florano on Environmental Governance. Feel free to e-mail him at efloranoy@yahoo.com. The original EcoGov blogspot can still be viewed at www.ecogov.blogspot.com. Thank you very much.

"Environmental Governance" - Definition

"Multi-level interactions (i.e., local, national, international/global) among, but not limited to, three main actors, i.e., state, market, and civil society, which interact with one another, whether in formal and informal ways; in formulating and implementing policies in response to environment-related demands and inputs from the society; bound by rules, procedures, processes, and widely-accepted behavior; for the purpose of attaining environmentally-sustainable development, a.k.a., "green growth."

Conceptualized by Ebinezer R. Florano in Florano (2008), "The Study of Environmental Governance: A Proposal for a Graduate Program in the Philippines." A conference paper read in the EROPA Seminar 2008 with the theme, "Governance in a Triptych: Environment, Migration, Peace and Order," held on 23-25 October 2008 at Traders Hotel in Pasay City, Philippines.

Mga Kandidato ng Kalikasan at Kapaligiran: May Boboto Ba?

Sunday, August 22, 2010

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION - 5th National Conference in Human Ecology

5th National Conference in Human Ecology
November 26-27, 2010, UP Los Banos, College, Laguna

Theme: Keeping Human Ecology Moving, Human Ecologists Engaging

Objectives of the Conference:

1. To review and recommend the role(s) of human ecology in attaining human centered, self-reliant and ecologically stable communities in the country
2. To discover and document best practices in multi/interdisciplinary studies and application towards sustainable towns and cities
3. To facilitate sharing and learning experiences among believers and practitioners in/of human ecology


Hosted by: UPLB College of Human Ecology, CHE Alumni Association, and Human Ecology Institute of the Philippines, Inc. (HUMEIN-Phils)

Possible Topics:

- Good Governance: local government planning and practices; integrated population, health, and environment (PHE) governance, integrating nutrition considerations in development planning, environmental governance and green politics, special education, social services delivery
- Community-Based and/or Ecosystems-Based Resource Management: coastal resources management, watershed management, reef-to-ridge resource planning and management, disaster risk management and climate change adaptation, planning for new settlements, human settlements rehabilitation, etc.
- Poverty Alleviation through: sustainable livelihoods, social entrepreneurship, micro-enterprises, corporate social responsibility, eco-tourism, etc.

For more information, please email: conference@humein-phils.org. See also HUMEIN's website at http://www.humein-phils.org/

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

7 of 10 Filipinos Believe Climate Change Dangerous to Environment, Families - Survey

7 of 10 Pinoys believe climate change dangerous to environment, families - survey

Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=603478&publicationSubCategoryId=63
By Helen Flores and Amanda Fisher (The Philippine Star)
Updated August 17, 2010 12:00 AM Comments (6)


MANILA, Philippines - Seven of every 10 Filipinos acknowledge the dangers posed by climate change to the environment, with Metro Manila residents voicing the biggest concern, results of the latest Pulse Asia “Ulat ng Bayan” survey show.

According to the survey, the percentage of Filipinos who are worried about the dangers of climate change has gone up to 71 percent from 61 percent two years ago.

Pulse Asia also said the figure was a high 84 percent in Metro Manila, possibly because of tropical storm “Ondoy” last year which flooded most of the capital and killed close to 500 people.

It also attributed the rising awareness about climate change among Metro Manila’s 12 million residents to a drought this year that caused severe water shortage.

The same survey also showed that 21 percent of Filipinos believe God is punishing humans for their evil deeds by inflicting environmental catastrophes on them, although the figure is lower than the 23 percent recorded two years ago. The Philippines is predominantly Roman Catholic.

The survey was conducted from July 1 to 11 and involved interviews with 1,200 respondents.

Based on the survey, two in three Filipinos noticed a “big change” in the country’s climate over the past three years, and almost half said they had “little or no knowledge” of the climate change phenomenon.

The survey also found that 66 percent of Filipinos experienced a big change in climate in their places in the past three years.

On the other hand, 11 percent of respondents said there was little change in the climate in their areas during the period, while 23 percent were undecided on the matter. Public ambivalence was most pronounced in Mindanao (33 percent) and the least in Metro Manila (12 percent) and the Visayas (14 percent).

“Between July 2008 and July 2010, more Filipinos felt a big change in the climate in their place (+8 percentage points) while slightly fewer expressed ambivalence on the matter (-6 percentage points),” Pulse Asia said.

Almost 80 percent of Metro Manilans – the highest in the country – noted a big change in local climate. Metro Manila residents who claimed knowledge of climate change made up 63 percent, based on the survey.

In Mindanao, 52 percent of respondents have reported little or no knowledge of climate change. Similarly, the region had the smallest percentage of residents across the country that had noticed a big change in climate, at only 58 percent.

Meanwhile, two thirds of the respondents said recent weather-related calamities in the country and around the world were primarily the result of “human-induced environmental destruction.”

Sixty-three percent of survey respondents expressed belief that the various calamities that hit the Philippines and other countries in recent months had been the result of “humanity’s environmentally destructive ways.”

On the other hand, two in 10 Filipinos see these calamities as “God’s way of warning or punishing countries that have turned evil ways.”

Fourteen percent of respondents believe these calamities are only part of a process that naturally occurs worldwide.

The good news is more Filipinos are ready to take action, like recycling and segregating waste as well as planting trees. Up to 30 percent of those surveyed said they were willing to do more for the environment, such as educate others. However, 10 percent said they would not do anything more to protect the environment.

Pulse Asia describes climate change as “any long-term significant change in the average weather that a given region experiences.”

Asked to comment on the Pulse Asia survey, Science Undersecretary Graciano Yumul said there is a need to intensify the campaign to educate the public on climate change.

“What we are experiencing now is not ordinary. There are a lot of changes attributable to both man-induced climate change and natural variability. Enhanced information campaign understandable to our people about this issue needs to be done,” he said in text message to The STAR.

“We are in the midst of climate-related uncertain times,” Yumul added.