Sounding like a broken record: We badly need reforestation

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There is a stark reality that we humans face today and as cliche as it may sound, changing that reality, is easier said than done.

Over the years, the problem in climate change and greenhouse gases spread like wildfire on a hot day. It continues to increase and it drastically affects our daily lives without us realizing it.

According to the recent study of British weather service body Met Office, carbon dioxide (CO2), which causes the climate-warming in the atmosphere, is dragging its near-record amount rise in 2019. Sadly, every year, this continues to increase even more.

In fact, over the past four years, it was recorded that the temperature of the Earth already reached its highest record.

Why is this happening?

One factor that majorly contributes to this massive environmental dilemma is the rising number of people and companies destructing forests. Deforestation is no longer new to our ears. We heard this word back in school and we are still talking about it today.

As recorded by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), 18.7 million acres of forests annually are being swept by various industries in the world. This is equivalent to 27 soccer fields that are being destroyed in every 60 seconds. And once the year 2030 comes, the percentage of endangered forests might jump as high as 47 percent.

In the Philippines, the country that owns two-thirds of the planet’s biodiversity, forests lose 24 percent of their covers each year over the past 100 years, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). This means that 47,000 hectares of forest covers are denuded per year or a total of 1.2 million hectares in the last century.

Deforestation causes a huge chain reaction of disasters and crises. For instance, the forestry industry accounts for a sizeable portion of our water supply. Without trees, we might find ourselves in the midst of another water crisis.

Forests are also our natural barriers for disasters. A mangrove forest helps stop tsunamis during thunderstorms and earthquakes. Forestries also help stop erosion and prevent flash floods and landslides.

Aside from this, they also help mitigate and even negate the negative impact of climate change. But most importantly, they help bring about growth for both the economy and ecology.

Hence, massive reforestation is key to addressing major problems, and this initiative should be done collectively and with the right tools. Funding could also be an issue for this endeavour.

Recognizing that it has the capacity to help champion causes, GCash created a program, called GCash for Good, that will provide individuals to donate money to non-government organizations (NGOs) to champion environmental causes, among others.

Through the GCash platform, users can express their generosity and their love for the environment by sending their donations to environmental protection organizations such as Bantay Kalikasan, Haribon Foundation, World Wildlife Fund for Nature, and the Forest Foundation Philippines.

Just like a normal donation program seeking to help the unfortunate and the environment, GCash for Good introduces convenience with a cause.

With GCash’s 20 million users in the country, the option of sending donations to stop deforestation can be possible in just one tap on our mobile phones. And If these 20 million users sent one peso from their accounts, a total of P20 million will be raised in no time.

Now, there’ll be no more excuse in promoting a greener world for the future generation. Just like the old saying goes, “Vision without action is a daydream and an action without a vision is a nightmare.”

So, let’s act now before its too late.

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About Mynt

Mynt is a partnership between Globe Telecom, the Ayala Corporation, and Ant Financial, that provides innovative and first-in-world fintech solutions to consumers, merchants, and organizations. Its vision is to enable financial access for consumers and merchants by disrupting traditional channels through digital financial technology services. It operates two fintech companies: GCash, a micropayment service that transforms the mobile phone into a virtual wallet for secure, fast, and convenient money transfer, and Fuse, a tech-based lending company that enables Filipinos to get microloans to business loans without the traditional requirements set by banks and other lending institutions. For more information, visit mynt.xyz.