Stop Dry Earth!

By Antonio Atendido Tan *

 

A PARADIGM SHIFT TO UPHOLD THE ECOSYSTEM – Series II

Introduction

One hundred years ago, the Philippines was host to a unique and diverse life system that is sustained by flourishing natural environment, and most remarkably the mountain regions of the archipelago. 

Studies have shown however, that the country's 10 million hectare tropical forests are now denuded by more than 90 percent.  For many years now, the highlands are gravely devoid of good vegetation resulting to exposure of the top fertile soils and profusely led to unwanted erosions.

Similarly, the wealth of flora and fauna is incessantly decimated at an alarming rate.  Damage to the natural environment and resources, knowingly or unknowingly, is the consequence of our weaknesses and misplaced priorities. 

Out of a similar behavior, the immediate community environment is also degraded. And by allocation of re-development capital, smaller value is given to uninhabited places such as a denuded forest.  Discounting the future, perennial floods, landslides, and similar disasters destroy crops, infrastructure, and other properties amounting to billions of pesos annually. Moreover, lives are tragically lost.

Though hopes are not mostly lost, given the opportunity to depart from circumstances that led us to self-starvation—referring to the sustainable benefits of “environmental economics”1, a new hope (i.e., Hydrologic Cycle - 2.0) in the form of science is offered to serve the wisdom of people, not only in the Philippines, but in the whole world especially the academic pursuits of educators, scientific communities, and entrepreneurs.

The Paradigm

Hydrologic Cycle - 2.0 (HC-2.0)© is a scientific tool to institutionalize the policy² on the significance of trees or plants in the earth's ecosystem. Plants play a central role in the hydrologic cycle as its share of dominance among living things is noteworthy.  On top of its crucial need is water, which (along with other elements) is a natural ingredient of plant's highly developed and complex serial process of photosynthesis and cellular respiration—a marvelous and versatile production system that enables plants to make its food and the food derivative of all other creatures. The plant's lists of products are so numerous to mention here.

Introduced as part of the paradigm, this author postulates and substantiates in illustrating the water cycle of the earth's ecosystem. Among the sciences helpful here are thermodynamic principles, chemistry, laws of motion, natural science, and physical observations.

On one hand, the philosophical claim of this paradigm is therefore the clear inclusion of life in the illustration.  On the other hand, the scientific claims are the “postulations and substantiations”, which are carried in Figures 1 and 2.

The need for this paradigm arises out of the trivialized and century-old illustration of the “water cycle”. This author took notice of its skewed scientific valuation yet it is a mainstay of textbooks from primary education to post-doctoral studies. 

 

To examine further the seemingly sinister character of the classic water cycle, it may lead to a co-relationship with the depletion of our timberlands, which is likewise applicable to the rest of the world's forests.

Forest Resource Tragedy to Forest Resource Strategy

From the beginning of life on Earth, our planet constantly evolves with an ecosystem that is very much dependent on atmospheric temperature.  The sun faithfully provides energy in our solar system, and Earth uses this energy for a thriving and diverse life structure or biological organisms that are composed of living cell(s). 

Human beings are indubitably the most intellectually developed and physically equipped specialists to take in their hands control over other living things that include “plants or trees”.

Since the past century, the prolific growth of world trade corresponds to increased demand on naturally occurring materials that are either renewable or exhaustible. This economic feeding bred many enterprise activities that mostly now cause environmental disasters and immense economic drawbacks. A not-so-classic example is the remains of the 10 million hectares or so of the Philippines' tropical forest.

One need not cross several rivers and mountains to see how endemic the natural environment landscape   has terribly changed—ironically to the economic detriment of the greater majority.  The Philippines' showcase of lush tropical forest is no longer the “wow” of Asia, much more of the whole world.

During heavy and prolonged rainfalls, this generation could only witness the mighty and extensive destruction wrought by floods, erosions, landslides, and silts that inundate remaining natural resources, other economic activities, and habitats down the plains.

But our resource tragedy cannot be burdened out of economic needs as it is only incidental to a man's earning for a living.  In addition to this basic desire is the lack or insufficient knowledge related to natural science, more so, is the weakness of implementing certain laws and policies regarding environmental economics.

Man cannot govern his desires and needs by himself alone, or else we shall become a society of seamless chaos. (Good) Government intervention should be reinforced with a set of laws and education that are updated, corrected, and compatible with the maintenance of our dignity and economic survival.

The role of learning institutions cannot be discounted on the aspects of breeding a nation of responsible, well-informed, and highly motivated citizenry, which by virtues corresponds to higher social capital value.

As a norm among nations, gross domestic product (GDP) has direct relationship with social capital value.  Since our GDP is not at par with maintaining a decent economic prosperity, learning institutions therefore have to catch up vigorously and intelligently.

Science and technology keeps an economy soar with others.  The analysis is simple.  A raw material with a P10 value could command a P1,000 price once processed to a high value product.  This is an example of how S&T works.  Of course the government gets its revenue share in the process.

A Forest Resource Strategy

Once developed, the economic value of the Philippines' 10 million-hectare tropical forests could increase the GDP by at least P1.5 trillion.  This estimate is based on P150,000 per hectare/year benefits from but not limited to forest agriculture, energy, irrigation, pharmaceutical, tourism, sports, and timber.  Likewise, this multitude of industries will create millions of jobs and related businesses.

• Forest Agriculture The inclusion of other agricultural activities in specified and suitable areas of the uplands.  Produce is in the categories of livestock, fruits, vegetables, and aquatic resource.
• Energy   Sustainable electricity generation by means of more aptly sized hydroelectric plants and biomass-fed power plants.  The Philippines' current and medium term electricity requirement can be supplied by merely four million hectares of developed forest.  This will translate to significant reduction in imported fossil (oil, coal) fuel.  Foreign currencies earned by overseas Filipino workers could otherwise be used to enhance the domestic economy.
• Irrigation  Regulated, assured, and very long term supply of water for all agricultural activities.
• Pharmaceutical products  Plant-based molecular compounds are widely used in majority of drugs.  Since plants have an inexhaustible range of molecular compounds, the quest and discoveries will not cease with regard to the medicinal properties of plants.
• Tourism and Sports   Outdoors landscape is man's natural environment.
• Timber   The demand in lumber and related products can be met in a sustainable fashion.  Current importation of lumber and timber shows our inefficient policies on forestry.
• Regulated comfort temperature   Plants or trees are natural productive storage of solar heat. It is productive in a sense that plants manufacture and store carbohydrates while receiving solar heat in the form of light waves.  With good vegetation in the forest and immediate surroundings, we can realize a better degree of temperature.
  

Recognition of Ecosystem in Economic Progress

When we abuse and neglect our forest resource, we unwisely eliminate the strongest link of our indigenous economic wealth.

The immeasurable losses in soil erosion alone throughout the country are unknown to many because knowledge on its impact scarcely reaches the population.

Moreover, it is compounded by the weakness of the system to prosecute or penalize persons or parties who caused this long-term disaster, which by valuation is at least a million times more than a single offense of economic sabotage.  By agricultural economic valuation, one kilo of fertile topsoil or peat from the forest corresponds to a liter of gasoline.

To redeem our tools for economic progress, our first course of action is to educate ourselves with diligence and independence. Hence, the comprehensive education on the hydrologic cycle came into new life and form as presented here.