Sizzling summer, global warming

Let us take the third thing first. "More than elsewhere, judges (among other people) ought to consider that in the Philippines climate produces effects on passions. A state of anemia, due to the heat, produces an unbalanced condition, which is manifested by nervous irritability. The amok, or momentary obfuscation, is a phenomenon observed among the Malay race, sometimes provoked by hunger, heat, etc. Add to this what various Filipinos who have protested there observe: The Indio, the personification of suffering, will only kill when all his patience has been exhausted and nothing remains to him but despair." ["Let Us Be Just," La Solidaridad, April 15, 1890]

That was the professional opinion, it seems, of a physician who was based in Spain at the time and who had been writing about the bane of colonialism and the need for reforms. Dr. Jose Rizal had the bright idea of linking climactic and socio-political conditions. In another essay for the same newsmagazine, he connected a raging issue with a human inclination. He confessed that the habitual idleness that existed among Filipinos w

"At one shop, we were served lemonade on a dirty table in tumblers that had just been used by others. They (the waiters) cut the ice with a nail and served it with their hands. Children came in and fanned us for a few cents." Horror stories from the wary visitor!

3. Global warming is not an act of God (recall Yahweh's promise to Noah); it is caused mainly by carbon dioxide emissions and the burning of fossil fuels; it can wipe out 25% of all plant and animal species by 2050 AD.

The humans of Earth can still save their planet by changing their carbon-based way of working and living. Filipinos can and should conserve and optimize their food, water and energy supplies. Local governments can shift to indigenous and renewable energies, which are more cost-effective than imported and polluting fossil fuels.

Some topics in this essay:
Manila Observatory, Jose Rizal, Arabian Peninsula, SUMMER Philippines, Solidaridad July, Philippine Revolution, Rizal's Reminiscences, Solidaridad April, Change Center, climate change, food water, fossil fuels, la solidaridad, hot summer, 15 1890, tropical countries, La Solidaridad, days hot, hot hot,