Environment

MANILA — Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Hilario G. Davide, Jr. reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that on 17 April 2007 the Philippines joined the mounting clamor for greater international attention on energy security and climate change, saying member-states of the United Nations must work together to attain the much needed consensus for speedy cooperation and action on these issues.

?There is an extreme urgency for international community-wide prioritization, including at regional and national levels, to address the challenges posed by energy security and climate change,? Ambassador Davide said in his statement during an open debate of the Security Council.

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MANILA — Environmental activist group Kalikasan Peoples Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE) today warned that the recent incidents of extreme heat and Napocor power shortages affecting Luzon were just the beginning of more climate change-related phenomena that would affect the Filipino poor the most.

Temperatures recently hit 36.8 degrees Centigrade, which PAGASA recorded the hottest temperatures in the Philippines for this year and which triggered scattered brownouts due to the sudden surge in power demands. The weather forecasting agency also warned that extreme heat spells would persist until next month.

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