Cebu Pacific: Bright Skies for Every Juan

I recently talked to my friend and former co-worker in WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) Yeb Sano. He has recently been tasked to run the Apo Reef Adaptation project. Funding will be coming from the "Bright Skies" program of Cebu Pacific. The program actually allows sustainability conscious users help alleviate damage to the planet resulting from their travel. Specifically, a fee is charged per kg CO2 emitted by each passenger's travel. (Was a bit nostalgic, because I did the calculations for determine the fees when I was in WWF.) The money collected is donated to the WWF-Philippines for building the capabilities of specific ecosystems to adapt to climate change impacts. 

The 1st project to get this fund will be the Apo Reef - Sablayan area in Mindoro Occidental. In the past, temperature spikes have resulted in massive bleaching in areas like Apo Reef. Recently, typhoon-less storm surges have hit the area. As the impacts of Climate Change become more pronounced, the damage to this area would become irreversible. It is therefore critical that parts of the reef that have the best nutrient flow and biodiversity, regardless of past climate events be protected from human intervention. It is also critical that the community of Sablayan, be assisted to develop systems to minimize human and economic loss. Later on,  more adaptation sites will be beneficiaries for this fund.   More information at www.cebupacificair.com and at www.wwf.org.ph.