Is it too late to move on to HS?

Fifteen years is quite a long time to gain an expertise on something technical but if the current workplace demands that you learn something new and provide expertise, that is something I do feel quite uncomfortable with. I have been comfortable working and sometimes being an expert in the field of environmental science and management. I do have the education, training and work experience to back it up with but what if my job demands that I go beyond it more than just a logical thinking, common sense requirement?

I am not moving on to high school, I am being provided responsibility to manage health and safety concerns. I may have worked side by side with people who have  been experts on that field but what if my responsibility now is to manage that? I remember way back, quite a while I guess when people from outside our technical field were appointed as administrators or managers, specially those who made a shift from the military to our industry…the first negative comments came from people like me, too ingrained in the technical and academic…

Since I am not the person in power, of course I have no choice but to just work my ass up and be the best, now with age things have changed and reflecting on my approach to work, I know this is much closer than coming from outerspace, I still have some hesitation that I may not be the perfect expert on HS even if I am quite confident on the E after all these years.  Drastic changes that I plan to do is take a few learning expeditions on OH&S.  I have attended the mandatory regulatory training and the lead auditor course but I still finding it too shallow to provide any level of confidence in working for the industry. There is this hesitation that I am not going to be the best if something is provided to me in  a silver platter unless I have worked hard for it and gained expertise on it….the opposite is also true…if I am not interested in something….I just don’t put it on my table anyway and let others do it.

Hot Summer, Winter Ready

I can’t believe that Gyeongbokgung Palace will be snowfilled in December, Spring and Summer will soon pass and my next trip North East Asia will be in December. I haven’t traveled in the winter farther north. Being in South East China in 2012 was limited to 5-10 degrees celsius. I have no idea what its like to be somewhere subzero.

As early as summer, I’m already preparing for my winter trip. A wool coat, the parka we bought at Bupyeong Station in Incheon, Korea and thermals would suffice I guess. The leopard scarf, navy snood, suede gloves and suede ankle boots. Jeans are a staple, have around three long sleeve chambray shirts, these will also be staples with Uniqlo Heattech underwear.

Anyway, is this work related? I’ll be burning jet fuel and increasing my carbon emissions. But travelling south to north won’t provide any jet lag, I hoe. I have already filed for my vacation leave as early as June.  Will there be significant changes when I return?

I hope so, work is piling up but satisfaction is declining. I need a new challenge. I need  a new break. Be wary of your enemies, but be thankful for your friends.

Earth Houring, Crowd Sourcing and Trafficking.

Time flew fast.   I just finished earth hour.  I didn’t stay home, I was driving during the course of earth hour and changes in local government jurisdiction also changed the lighting condition of roads. It is only now that I realized that lack of lighting can be hazardous specially towards traffic, increasing the risk of traffic accidents. Whoa!  Are we supposed to pull-over during earth hour, but that will waste an hour of travel. First time, an earth hour paradox had occurred.

The last time I was active for Earth Hour / SWITCH 2010 when I have to go to the Mall of Asia to join the concert of darkness organized by WWF but the for the previous years I just spent it at home. This year, fully unaware what time it was, I was driving.

Anyway, Spiderman was supporting the Earth Hour movement. Things are changing, because now Earth Hour has funded environmental improvement projects.  Does this make economic sense? Of course, environmental improvement has an economic value and any degradation is a loss of value.  Everyone has a responsibility to internalize their externalities.

 

Tacloban was at risk no matter what

In October 2012, my colleagues and I entered Tacloban City flooded after a stormy night. No one expected that after a year the strongest typhoon recorded in history as of now will sweep over the city and turn everything into  ruins and the city in chaos. In my travels, I have been thankful that I was not scheduled to work during times of  disaster but it was sad that I have to look back meet wonderful people and hear news either they are missing or have become casualties of the disaster.

The climate has indeed changed. That is the truth. This is the new normal, we keep on talking about it and talking about yet never had the discipline to act upon it and adapt to the changes that is now occurring.  At this point in time, I am just lucky, lucky that a disaster of similar magnitude has not yet struck upon me but going through my previous posts, the flooding I experienced in my residence last July and August are the new normal and the risks that Cagayan de Oro or Compostela Valley have experienced has a a high likelihood of occurrence. Even my own family does not believe that we are at risk.

My family believes that climate change is about crazy people and I have made it my career of choice, that is how most Filipinos think.

It just so happened I’m on the mitigation side not on the adaptation side. Being lucky is not enough, being prepared is essential and adapting is mandatory. 

Climate Change Adapting

 

Walking home after an appointment was cancelled.  Please, don’t let us believe that this is God’s Wrath for corruption, this is just another impact of rising sea levels.  Climate change is already here, we just need to adapt to it.

Waking Up Fire Retardant

I never expect that I would do work for the oil and gas industry, but currently most of my GHG verification opportunities have been related to oil and gas from upstream to downstream. It is only now that I started driving and getting fuel for my vehicle has always been convenient, we have always been dependent on fossil fuels that most of us could not imagine what will life be like without gasoline, diesel, LPG or even natural gas.

Investments in oil and gas infrastructure have been massive since we have been used to it. It is extremely hazardous but safety had been a primary concern.  A spark can flame up any fugitive emissions that is released in the common storage and handling process that having a cotton/fire retardant clothing is mandatory.  The industry is already forced to reduce its overall emissions, we are still slow in implementing investments to alternative fuels and renewable energy.

I am mind-boggled by how limited and minimal or even blocked efforts have been to achieve a low carbon economy.

Livelihood Opportunities and Poverty Alleviation…Oh Lord!

Three consecutive posts about Compostela Valley, Philippines. First of a happier time a few weeks back. I even posted that picture happy picture as my facebook profile photo.

It seems climate change is indeed a reality but over and over again in a year we keep on hearing the news of dead bodies being recovered  because of lack disaster preparedness and response.  It seems this will be the norm, the  annual destructive storms and the loss of lives and damage to property that comes with it.

Anyway, we ourselves put ourselves at risk because if you are dirt poor,  you rarely think of tomorrow, you think of how you can eke out a living for today.  Compostela valley is rich in natural resources.  The first thing I noticed when I entered the mountainous areas of the valley is though there is no large scale mining operations and there may be a ban in small scale mining operations, deforestation still occurs. Upland farming is still being done and slash and burn system still prevails.

Everyone has the freedom to do what they want just to survive their day to day situation. That’s a a democracy, I guess. However, freedom puts you at risk because you open yourself up to hazardous situations that can also kill you when the time comes. People know that what they do is dangerous and they know the risk.