THE TIPPING POINT, ON REVERSE? THE IMPACT OF TRANSACTIONAL VS. TRANSFORMATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE MANAGERS ON FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES
Mr. Rodne Galicha
Manager, Climate Reality Project of the Philippines
Good morning!
I am part of the Climate Reality Project by Former US Vice President Al Gore. He is one of the climate champions in the world. He’s just one. Marami pang iba (There are many others).
Our main project at the Climate Reality Project is Climate Education. Through the years, we were able to actually devise or make methods on how to communicate climate change in very simple ways.
If you have Facebook just go to Kalikasan101, also on Twitter and Instagram. My email address is kalikasan101@gmail.com. Yes, I got it all. Just like SM.
The tipping point on reverse. We got only 12 years to limit the impact of climate change. We have until 2030 to solve it but I think there’s hope. We have to keep global warming to a maximum of 1OC or else it will significantly worsen the disasters and risks such as extreme heat, drought, and super typhoons.
Transactional simply means to comply with what is being asked or because the law said just like the National Environmental Education Action Plan and National Climate Change Action Plan. But how would this solve a problem that is so huge? Here comes what we call Transformational..
Just like what Director Areola said, STEMpathy. Science and Technology with Empathy. It a term a term coined by Thomas Friedman. According to Thomas Friedman, it is from hands to heads to hearts.
There should be comprehensive integration efforts not only with the educational institution but also with the families and communities. Learning should not stop inside the classroom. It has to manifest in the actions of our students outside the classroom and that’s more important.
Let’s go back to the basics and review what we know.
All Things Bright and Beautiful
(Cecil Frances Alexander)
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.
The rich man in his castle,
The poor man at his gate,
God made them, high or lowly,
And ordered their estate.
The purple-headed mountain,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning,
That brightens up the sky;
The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one.
The tall trees in the greenwood,
The meadows where we play,
The rushes by the water,
We gather every day;
He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell,
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well
Go back to the basics. Everything is finite.
If you know the problem, you know the solution. What will happen?
Humans are accelerating social evolution. According to Pope Francis, our problem today is Rapidification. The word “rapidification” is a term found in the first chapter of Laudato Si’. Rapidification means we are already disturbing the natural rhythm of things and we are accelerating the changes affecting our planet, including families and communities.
Climate change is natural. Global warming is natural. The phenomenon we experience today is not natural. How do we teach climate change?
Do you know the song “I’m a Little Teapot”?
I’m a Little Teapot
I’m a little teapot
Short and stout
Here is my handle
Here is my spout
When the water’s boiling hear me shout
Lift me up, and pour me out
The kettle is the atmosphere, the content of the kettle is the Earth, and the heat of the stove is the Sun. When the heat of the Sun is trapped inside, there comes extreme weather condition. So, let’s boil water. Boil water for five minutes. There will be tiny bubbles. If you boil it longer, you will get big bubbles. The ocean is the greatest absorber of heat. Think of these bubbles as typhoons.
Ladies and gentlemen, that is Climate Change 101.
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning to all.