Last April 22, our country joined the rest of the world in observing Earth Day, the event meant to increase awareness about environmental issues. No doubt, one of the questions on the minds of many who attended was how to decrease our country’s dependence on fossil fuels, particularly in generating electricity. Fossil fuels are one of the main sources of greenhouse gases, which in turn drive climate change. The Philippines gets about 78% of its electricity from fossil fuels. This is significant when you consider the role of climate change in extreme weather events.
Just last year, our country experienced a record-breaking typhoon season. No less than six storm systems hit our shores in less than a month, culminating in super typhoon Pepito. The result is some 200,000 Filipinos being displaced. This trend of extreme weather is not just confined to our country, as the United States experienced an abnormally active hurricane season in 2024. And extreme weather is most likely to be the norm.
But it’s not just storms that we have to deal with; 2024 has proven to be the warmest year on record, and this year doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Just this March, classes were suspended in the NCR due to the heat. These extreme weather patterns highlight the need for our country to transition away from fossil fuels for our electrical needs and adopt a cleaner, more sustainable alternative.
One of the most promising alternatives to fossil fuels is nuclear energy. At the forefront of advocating for this change is Alpas Pinas, a non-stock, non-profit organization advocating for clean, cheap, and reliable energy.
According to one of the NGO’s lead advocates, Pangasinan 2nd District Representative Cong. Mark O. Cojuangco, “Right now, our country gets about 78% of its energy needs from coal, which needs to be burned. As one can imagine, this produces a lot of emissions, increasing the amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. A typical nuclear power plant produces nearly zero greenhouse gases, making it one of the cleanest energy sources available.”
Alpas Pinas’ lead convenor Gayle Certeza added: “Not only is nuclear energy cleaner, the energy it produces is also less costly, resulting in lower electrical bill for Filipino households.” Certeza continued, “This means more resources for other urgent household expenses.”
Certeza added: “There is also another significant benefit with adopting nuclear energy. The clean nature of this energy source means improved air quality over time. This can, in turn, improve the respiratory health of our kababayans.”
For his part, Dr. Caloy Arcilla of the Philippine Nuclear Reseach Institute had this to say: “We believe that we should start moving away from fossil fuels for our country’s energy needs sooner rather than later, considering the many detrimental side effects their emissions pose to the environment."
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