One doesn’t need to see the weather bureau’s records of average everyday temperatures to know that this summer is scorching.
It is so hot the Metro Manila Development Authority started implementing daily 30-minute breaks—they called it a “heat stroke break” policy—to protect their traffic enforcers and other personnel working outdoors.
It is so hot that a Laguna resident, in a Facebook post, showed she was able to fry an egg by putting it inside a pan with a little oil and placing the pan on the pavement under the heat of the midday sun.
It is so hot the country’s heat index record has been broken three times in May alone. Dagupan City in Pangasinan set a record for the highest heat index in 2021, registering 53°C on May 14, 52°C on May 12 and 51°C on May 8.
Just go out for a walk and you’ll be drenched in sweat in no time. You might even experience nausea and dizzy spells.
Heat-related illnesses have been widely reported in many parts of the country. Most of our cities are registering heat indexes well inside the “danger zone” of 41°C to 54°C, which can cause heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heatstrokes. PAGASA said at least 20 areas in the country hit this danger heat index last Sunday.
We would advise people to stay indoors. But mind you, indoor temperatures can get just as hot, especially nowadays as the pandemic has prevented most places from running their air conditioners because it can increase the chances of spreading infection indoors.
Swimming is also not yet allowed in most places amid the lockdown, so people cannot cool down by enjoying a dip in the pool or at the beach.
Climate change studies have found that global warming has increased heat records not just in the Philippines but also in other countries.
But we cannot just keep blaming climate change. The truth is, there are more than a few things we can do to help cool down our cities.
Air pollution makes our cities not only hotter but also dangerously unhealthy.
The government, for starters, should strictly implement the provisions of the Clean Air Act and stop all the smoke-belching buses, jeepneys, trucks and other vehicles that are still running on our roads despite clearly failing emission standards.
Our country should also shed its overreliance on coal, oil and fossil fuels for its energy needs in favor of renewable energy sources.
Cities that have replaced green and natural land cover with dense concentrations of pavement, buildings and other concrete structures naturally absorb and retain more heat.
So the government and private developers should build more parks, gardens and recreational spaces with trees, plants and vegetation.
We should stop filling the remaining open spaces in our cities with more high-rise condominiums, buildings, roads, flyovers and other concrete structures. Instead, we need more green spaces and oases that can help cool our cities and our citizens.
We need to restore the green cover in Metro Manila, which is one of the lowest ranked cities in the Asian Green City Index, a measurement of the environmental performance of 22 urban cities across the region by the Economic Intelligence Unit.
Modernization and economic development should not automatically lead to congestion, overpopulation and pollution. Governments can choose a better way by pursuing revitalization and urban renewal projects that promote health, sustainability and social responsibility.
Even enormous environmental challenges, like cleaning the heavily polluted Manila Bay and Pasig River, can be overcome with political will, proper urban planning and private sector support.
Greening efforts and sound environmental practices can have positive effects on the economy too. Just look at how Singapore’s “garden city” vision has made it a prime tourist attraction and investors’ destination.
More than one-third of the country’s wealth circulates in Metro Manila. It certainly has the fiscal strength to invest in green urban infrastructure and ecological projects.
The Duterte administration’s national infrastructure development program “Build, Build, Build” also has a “Green, Green, Green” component that aims to support city governments in building public open spaces, with its own budget for forest parks and botanical gardens, upgrading streets and waterfronts, revitalizing plazas, tree planting and other “green” activities.
This program needs to be implemented urgently. We would like to see not only its success but also its continuation in succeeding administrations.
The government must find the political will to pursue a green agenda that can reverse climate change’s harsh effects in our cities and help cool them down.