Greening science and technology to fight poverty

By George Robert Valencia III, S&T Media Service

The Department of Science and Technology goes green as it gathers scientists, researchers, and experts to talk about fighting poverty during the 79^th General Membership Conference of the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP) today, March 6, 2012, at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza. The Council is the major policy-advising and planning body in the country on science and technology matters.

The event has the theme “Poverty Alleviation Through Green Technology Research and Innovation.” Atty. Christian Monsod, co-chair of the National Agricultural and Fishery Council (NAFC) Committee of the Climate Change Congress of the Philippines (CCCP), will lead a plenary discussion on the role of green technologies in sustainability and poverty alleviation. Several workshops will also simultaneously run, with discussions on general topics of climate change, green technologies, and environmental remediation and safety.

Under the workshop on Climate Change and Ecorestoration, the topics to be discussed will be extreme weather events, hazard mapping, sea level rise, and Philippine forest and marine ecorestoration. Meanwhile, the Food and Health Security workshop will delve on green farming technologies, nutrition and food security, emerging diseases related to climate change, and the social dimensions of food and health security. A third workshop on Green Technologies will mainly focus on topics about pollution and “green” products, technologies, and processes.

DOST-NRCP will formulate recommendations out of the workshop outcomes that will be formally presented to country’s policy-makers to enhance guidelines and policies concerning the environment.

The conference and general assembly also showcased DOST-NRCP’s latest outstanding researches on poster exhibits, which will also give opportunity for guests to meet the scientists behind the researches.

Events on the following day, March 7, 2012, will include the announcement of winners of the poster competition, election of the council’s new set of officers, oath-taking of new associate and regular members, and the conferment of 2011 NRCP Achievement Awards.