Al Gore
A Filipino environmentalist shared the stage with Al Gore at a 24-hour live-streamed global event from New York that kicked off the former US vice president’s fresh global campaign to stem the climate crisis.
Rodne Galicha of Haribon Foundation and Friends of the Earth Philippines was set to make a presentation on the climate crisis at the event dubbed “24 Hours of Reality” at around 4 p.m. Thursday (Philippine time).
Solomon Islands
Galicha was to deliver a multimedia presentation “to connect the dots between our changing climate and the extreme weather we have been seeing around the world,” the Climate Reality Project said in an advisory.
Galicha’s presentation would highlight the impact of climate change on the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific. He joins Gore and 22 others who will speak “about how the climate crisis is impacting us all.”
“We thought your audience would like to know that they can tune in to the presentation by going to www.climaterealityproject.org and viewing the live stream over the Internet,” said Galicha in an e-mail to media.
Connecting the dots
Galicha will talk on the threat of a rise in sea level to the Solomon islanders, warning that a surge in salty water, coupled with warmer temperatures, would make it difficult for them to grow food.
The worldwide event consists of a new multimedia presentation created by Gore and delivered once every hour for 24 hours, representing each time zone around the globe, Climate Reality Project said on its website.
“Each hour people living with the reality of climate change will connect the dots between recent extreme weather events—including floods, storms and drought—and the manmade pollution that is changing our climate. We will offer a round-the-clock round-the-globe snapshot of the climate crisis in real time,” it said.
It was to be broadcast live online from Wednesday to Thursday over 24 hours, representing 24 time zones and 13 languages, and would conclude with a presentation by Gore.
Climate reality project
“From Tonga to Cape Verde, Mexico City to Alaska, Jakarta to London, people living with the impact of climate change every day will tell their stories. You can experience as much as you like without even leaving your home,” the project said.
Due to logistical considerations, three of the presentations were to be broadcast from New York—that of Tonga, the Solomon Islands and French Polynesia—but would include local footage and information. All other presentations would be filmed on location around the world, it said.
The Climate Reality Project, founded and chaired by Gore, has launched a new global campaign to remind people of the reality of the climate crisis and mobilize them to help address it.
Galicha is based on Sibuyan Island in the central Philippines, described as a densely forested area surrounded by pristine waters. It is, however, vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
He is executive director of Sibuyan Island Sentinels League for Environment Inc., a group that works to protect biodiversity and foster sustainable development. He is in an advocacy alliance convened by Haribon Foundation and Friends of the Earth-Philippines.