National Service Training Program-Environmental
fishing.
Awareness
DEFINITION OF TERMS
1. ENVIRONMENT
-From the French word “environ” which means surroundings – which
includes biotic (humans, plants, animals, microbes, etc.) and abiotic (air,
water, land, etc.). … [T]he interrelationships which exist among and
between water, air, and land and human beings and other living creatures.
(Kalavathy, 2004)
2. POLLUTION
-Addition of undesirable material into the environment because of human
activities. The agents which cause environmental pollution are pollutants –
any physical, chemical, or biological substance unintentionally released into
the environment which directly or indirectly harmful to humans and other
living organisms. (Environmental Science Senior Secondary Course)
PHILIPPINE ENVIROMENT SITUATION
1. FORESTS AND MOUNTAINS
-30,000,000 hectares, 800,000 hectares of forests remain.
-Between 1990 and 2010, an average of 54,750 hectares per year are gone.
-Only 20% total forest cover remains, making the Philippines with the
thinnest forest cover in Southeast Asia
-Due to irresponsible mining, and continued deforestation.
2. PHILIPPINE WATERS
-The Philippines is in the center of marine biodiversity in the whole world
and has one of the longest coastlines – estimated at 36,289 kilometres.
-Continuously threatened because of ocean acidification and rising ocean
temperature.
-Due to the increased wastes found in oceans, overfishing, and illegal
3. AIR QUALITY
-Over six million deaths are linked to indoor and outdoor pollution – about 1
in 4 deaths is linked to pollution.
-People in urban area are more exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution
than those in rural areas.
-Air pollutants such as nitrates, sulfates, and black carbon, found both
indoor and outdoor, are extremely dangerous to health.
-Approximately 52,000 households affected by intermittent water
interruptions
-Depleting water level in Angat Dam and La Mesa Dam
-Prolonged dry season further aggravated the water crisis
METRO MANILA WATER CRISIS
-Extended dry season
-Delayed rainy season
-Below normal rainfall with dry spells and drought in some parts of the
country
EL NINO
-Any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or a
result of human activity. (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change)
CLIMATE CHANGE
-It is the increase in average global temperature. It occurs when carbon
dioxide (CO2) and other air pollutants and greenhouse gases collect in the
atmosphere and absorb sunlight and solar radiation that have bounced off
the earth’s atmosphere. (Natural Resources Defense Council)
 GLOBAL WARMING CLIMATE JUSTICE

-Rapid population growth -Exposing those responsible for climate change and holding them
accountable for their harmful activities. It seeks to challenge the influential
-Massive degradation of life support systems
role of big polluters, alongside their host governments.
-Poverty – lack of choices and environmental education
-The Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, an alliance of over 100
-Quick fix methods using non-renewable resources grassroots networks and organizations, advocates for the accountability of
big companies and the government in their contribution to the worsening
COMMON CAUSES OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
climate crisis.
1. Lack of solutions with little emphasis on pollution control and waste
-Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising
reduction
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. (United Nations
2. Failure to encourage earth-sustaining economic development
General Assembly)
3. Dominating nature for own use
SUITANABLE DEVELOPMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS

1. RA 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000

-Provides the classification of ecological wastes, and proper disposal

practices.

2. RA 8749 or the Clean Air Act of 1999

-Provides policies on air pollution management, and the sources of air

pollution.
PHILIPPINE AGENDA 21
3. RA 8550 or the Philippine Fisheries Act of 1998
-National Agenda for Sustainable Development for the 21st Century
-Provides policies for the development, protection, and conservation of
-Launched on September 26, 1996
fisheries and aquatic resources.
-Integrating sustainable development into the country’s governance
4. RA 7076 or the Philippine Mining Act of 1995
framework
-Provides policies on the development and rationalization of small-scale
-Identified crucial issues in the country’s five ecosystems:
mining practice in the Philippines and setting of mining regulations.
1. Forest/Upland

2. Agricultural/Lowland

3. Coastal/Marine
4. Freshwater -An area of land protected and managed in order to preserve a particular
type of habitat and its flora and fauna which are often rare or endangered.
5. Urban Ecosystem
-The Philippine practice of forest preservation can be seen in protection of
5Rs: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle, Repair, Recover
watersheds. (Bantay Gubat)
1. Reuse – means to use again, if not by you then by others.
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
2. Reduce – lessen the use of unnecessary materials
3. Recycle – processing waste materials to make another product -Energy generated in ways that do not deplete natural resources or harm
4. Repair – fixing or restoring broken items to be used again. the environment, especially by avoiding the use of fossil fuels and nuclear
5. Recover – taking energy or materials from wastes that cannot be power.
use anymore
-It may be in the form of hydroelectric powerplants, geothermal
ZERO WASTE LIFESTYLE powerplants, and use of alternative vehicle fuels.

-An approach in which an individual evaluates his/her lifestyle in order to ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
reduce their landfill trash.
-Integration of environmental concepts, and environmental protection in
-At its core, the 5Rs in this lifestyle become refuse, reduce, recycle, reuse, school curriculum.
and rot.
-Providing comprehensive learning modules on environmental education to
URBAN GARDENING be applied to young people at every level.

-The process of growing plants of all types and varieties in an urban setting. HOUSE BILL 8728 GRADUATION LEGACY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

-It is the sustainable future in food production, cultivation, and distribution.
MARINE CONSERVATION
-The protection and preservation of ecosystems in oceans and seas.
-It aims to reduce human-induced damage to marine life and restoring
damaged marine ecosystems.
-Environmental Health is the examination of the impacts of human-made
chemicals on wildlife and people. It’s study and practice allow us to
understand the environmental factors that influence human health and
quality of life. People who work with it seek to prevent adverse effects on
human health and ecological systems.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

-Encourages people’s participation in marine protection especially in the 1. Physical Hazards

management of a marine protected area. (Example: Bantay Dagat
-They are processes that occur naturally like earthquakes, volcanic
volunteers)
eruptions, fires, floods, blizzards, landslides, hurricanes, and droughts,
FORESTS PRESERVATION but they also include ongoing natural phenomena, like ultraviolet (UV)
radiation from sunlight, which can cause skin cancer, cataracts, and
-The protection or improvement of a forest threatened or affected by
immune suppression in case of excessive exposure.
natural or man-made causes.
 -The contaminants that wash into streams and rivers flow and seep into the
water we drink and drift through the air we breathe.
2. Biological Hazards

-Result from ecological interaction among organisms. They consist of

bacterial or virus infection or another pathogen. This is infectious disease,
and they are also called communicable or transmissible disease. Infectious
diseases like malaria, cholera, tuberculosis, and influenza are considered
environmental health hazards. Like the other two types of hazards, it’s
impossible to avoid risks from biological agents, however, steps can be
taken to reduce the likelihood of infection.

3. Cultural/Lifestyle Hazards

-Result from the place we live, our socioeconomic status, occupation, or

behavioral choices. Choosing to smoke cigarettes or living or working with
people who do, increases our risk of lung cancer. Choosing to smoke is a
personal behavioral decision, but exposure to secondhand smoke may not
be under one’s control. Advocates of environmental justice argue that such
health factors as living in proximity to toxic waste sites or working
unprotected with pesticides might be correlated with socioeconomic
deprivation.

TOXICANTS

-Toxicants are not evenly distributed in the environment, and they move
about in specific ways. Water, for example, carries toxicants from large
areas of land and concentrates them in small volumes of surface water.
Those chemicals that can persist in soil can leach down into groundwater
and contaminate drinking water supplies. Many chemicals are soluble in
water and enter organism’s tissues through drinking or absorption. That’s
the main reason why aquatic animals like fish, frogs and stream
invertebrates are effective indicators of pollution. Whenever scientists find
low concentrations of pesticides exerting harm on frogs, fish, and
invertebrates, they view this as a warning that people could be next.
Toxicants might cause reproductive problems on animals and humans.