By Fr. Shay Cullen
In this age of global warming and catastrophic climate change in 2022, the Philippine government held a public bidding for electric power companies to bid on supplying the Philippine’s need for clean energy power plants to supply 1.966GW of electricity. From that bidding, the winners Aboitiz and Ayala (AC) are building solar plants in Zambales and they are constructing power transmission towers and power cables across the province to join the national grid.
Eventually, the solar power supply will benefit the Philippines and offset the CO2 emitted by coal-fired power plants and vehicles that is causing global warming. So far, the two Zambales-based solar plants are not yet operational. However, Ayala has sadly added many tons to the CO2 in the atmosphere by their logging and cutting of thousands of trees (photos) to make way for the power transmissions pylons and cables. They have not shared a replanting plan as yet for this column.
These cables radiate electromagnetic waves that are dangerous to humans, especially children. Aboitiz has not yet begun the cutting of trees and constructing the transmission pylons. To its credit, the company has a replanting plan and invited the Preda Foundation to work with them to monitor the replanting after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) makes its assessment of trees that will be cut and the number of saplings needed for replanting. They have a 90 percent chance of survival. Philippine and international environmental protection groups are encouraged to monitor the replanting. It will begin in August during the rainy season. The Aboitiz solar power company has agreed with the Preda Foundation to reroute the cables a safer distance from the Preda children’s home in Subic. The cables emit electromagnetic radiation which is likely to cause leukemia in children. They are now passing further away from the home where 83 sexually abused children are recovering from abuse and trafficking.
This is a good cooperation and agreement with Aboitiz. It is a very ironic situation since the Preda Foundation’s recovery and healing home for abused children in Subic was built to save the children from the electromagnetic radiation from the unnecessary cables erected along the national highway close to the former Preda children’s home in Kalaklan, Olongapo City supposedly for the APEC meeting in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone on 24–25 November 1996. Preda mounted a strong protest against that and got international attention.
The cables in Kalaklan were declared over-sized and unnecessary since a 65KV power line passed over the cemetery from the Kale sub-power station. The campaign to protect the children caused world-wide condemnation of the authorities by national and international child protection groups and there was a Philippine congressional hearing. Now, the same danger has been avoided by the agreement with Aboitiz to prevent any danger of electromagnetic radiation to the 83 children in the Preda Foundation homes in Subic.
Solar power is a good source of clean energy to address global warming. The climate is changing relentlessly and creates a danger of more frequent heat waves, more intense typhoons, droughts, wild fires, arctic melting, rising sea level and the extinction of animals and fish.
This is a growing global catastrophic situation allowed to happen by neglect and a failure of human intelligence and rational thinking as the industrial world continues to burn more coal, oil and gas that fire up the electric-generating power plants. These are the main causes of CO2 emissions that continue rising by the month, in turn causing global warming as they pour out millions of tons of CO2.
The total focus should be on more renewable sources of energy such as many more solar, wind, geothermal and bio-gas power plants. These are C02 neutral sources of clean electric power generation.
It’s a challenge as many deny that the climate is changing for the worst for mankind. Rich countries are still giving huge financial incentives to the super rich oil companies. We ask why and can only presume that they get that public money paid back as re-election donations to keep the corrupt politicians in power and they will continue approving laws supporting the oil companies and promoting fossil fuel. We can presume such temptations happen here in the Philippines, too. May we be spared such evil.
It is human greed, perversity, the love of riches and power that is corrupting the politicians and allowing the fossil fuel industries to continue and increase the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere when a massive reduction in CO2 is essential to reduce global warming.
The planet is overheating because the CO2 gases fill the skies and block the escape of heat from the earth, creating a blanket of gases around the globe, a dangerous hot oven situation of continuous heating. There is a slow response in the promotion of alternative sources of energy.
More tax exemptions should be introduced by law to promote renewable energy generation. Global warming cannot be ignored, it is a matter of national emergency. It is bringing serious threats to the population. Electric cars are part of the answer. A law to require all gas stations to have recharging stations is essential.
The planet is now already 1.1 degrees celsius warmer than it was 100 years ago. This continues as there is a 50 percent increase in the CO2 pumped into the atmosphere. Unless global warming is held at 1.5 degrees celsius, catastrophic consequences will surely come. The planet will be almost uninhabitable as humans, plants and animals cannot adapt and evolve quickly enough to survive.
In 2016, global warming reached its highest peak ever. The temperature reached 1.28C above what it was before the 19th century pre-industrial level. Now, the climate experts are 98 percent certain that it will be higher by 2027. The day will come soon when 1.5C will be exceeded for the first time in the history of the planet.
The billions of poor people around the world who live in disaster-prone areas with weak housing structures, landslides and flood-prone areas will be hit hardest by typhoons. They will suffer the most from devastating climate change.
The Philippine government is encouraging more clean energy power plants and called an action for power companies to bid on supplying the Philippine 1.966GW of electricity generating capacity in June 2022. It was bidders for solar plants and wind farm power plants that got 20 year contracts and won most of the capacity. Solar power is best for the Philippines. However, power plant companies must not be allowed to destroy forest trees without massive replanting of mature saplings and must never endanger children with electromagnetic radiation.
