How does science diplomacy assist in reducing the dangers posed by climate change?
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Maybe if you're not living there, maybe you're living in another region in the Philippines,
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what can they learn from what you're doing?
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Okay. I mentioned about assessment, right?
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Using the TRIP framework.
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Now, part of it is we also assist them in their comprehensive land use plan, CLUP.
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CLUP, so in order for them to make it enhanced.
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We only call it enhanced comprehensive land use plan.
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The climate adaptation disaster reduction management strategies are integrated.
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For the record, I mean, only 20, less than 20 percent of the total number of local government units
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were able to integrate their CCADR and the land use plan.
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So only a few, very, very few.
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The same thing with the CDPs, their comprehensive development plan.
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Is it because there's, like, you know, a tug of war with resources?
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On the one hand, you want the development, and on the other hand, you need to preserve some for, you know.
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Flood area, for farming and whatnot, right?
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Sometimes it goes with the technical.
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There's no, based on my experiences, there are no, I mean, in terms of technical people,
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some of them are not really knowledgeable.
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So in Filipino terms, baraba.
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So this is where you come in, right?
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To put in the science.
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The science to it, right?
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And that's why it has to be taught in a proper way so that they will really understand.
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So that's what we do.
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So they will tell you, sir, this is what we only have.
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So who taught you this?
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I mean, who provided the assistance?
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They said, sir, we don't have the capacity to do it.
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So that's where we come in.
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So we help them to enhance and to improve their comprehensive land use plan, their comprehensive development plan,
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and even their CIDRA, the Climate Disaster Risk Assessment.
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So some of these LGUs have no CIDRAs.
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And that's a need.
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So especially if your municipality is, well, is at risk, all right?
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It's at risk from the different types.
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So they have no concept of development programs.
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They have no concept of risk management.
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They just happen to be elected.
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And they are, yes, sad to say, yes, it's true.
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But that's the system, right?
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So you try to help them.
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You have to educate them.
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And another one is the LCCAP, the Local Climate Change Action Plan.
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So I mentioned that there are seven priority areas of the National Climate Change Action Plan.
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And to help our local government units to mainstream them is we help them to localize them.
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Localize it meaning to help them to develop their own LCCAP, or we call it LCCAP,
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or the Local Climate Change Action Plan.
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So, yeah, one by one, step by step.
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So that's how we train them.
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That's how we do it.
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Is there a component of that that can also benefit, let's say, local employment?
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You know, what comes to mind, for instance, maybe restoring mangrove forests,
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is that something that can be now used not only to help mitigate climate change,
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also maybe protect the community, but is there also an opportunity to generate jobs in the rural?
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Is that a way to do it also?
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Is that a way to do it?
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Yeah, it's really part.
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That's also part of what we provide.
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That's the reason we always start with the assessment.
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Yeah, because there are many things, right?
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Many things will come out.
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This is what we want to do, but, you know, in the assessment, this is not what you need.
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So we always start with the assessment, and then part of the policy recommendations is,
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okay, the livelihood program, sustainable livelihood programs for the communities.
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That's part of what we also provide.
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That's interesting.
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Now, you were talking earlier about energy, right?
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That's an area where we see, you know, a lot of concerns, right, the production of energy.
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What should the policymakers be looking at there?
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You know, you're really working on the ground.
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You're seeing the impact of climate change on grassroot communities, right?
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But is there something that the Philippines can do?
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Because we're not, you know, a major producer of GHGs, right?
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We're certainly, you know, maybe a victim of its consequence.
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But is there something that needs to be looked at in terms of the energy sector policy
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to make it congruent with the needs of climate change mitigation?
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We have the policies, right?
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We have the renewable energy.
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And I think that's what other companies are doing.
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So, integrating now, they're introducing renewable solar in order to reduce their GHGs.
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But you're only addressing the one part of the pie.
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Because, for example, this energy, but remember, there are different sources.
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Different sources of GHGs.
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Now, in our case, when we did really a comprehensive assessment for Philippine Airlines
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because we covered everything.
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For example, the building infrastructure, the different types of raw materials.
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It's a lot of different types of equipment that emit a lot of GHGs.
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So, we do it per room, per floor, per building, per infrastructure.
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Then we also have transportation.
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Because people are not aware that every time you travel from your house, from your home,
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going to where you work, you actually emit an X amount of GHG.
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Again, people are not aware.
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So, we have a tool for that.
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So, we also do that for Philippine Airlines, both for those who have private cars
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and for those who are also commuting.
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Then we also have the food.
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The food that you eat.
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So, it has to also be estimated.
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So, if you really want to claim that you are a carbon neutral company,
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so it has to be done in the most comprehensive way.
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When you talk about food, is there an argument to be made about sourcing locally
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or maybe developing what is indigenous?
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Rather than, as you said, you're transporting these things.
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Of course, if it comes from overseas, then I can just imagine the carbon footprint of that import.
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That's part of what we estimate.
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And even the type of food that you eat.
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So, for example, if you eat beef, there's an X amount of GHG.
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And we did a baseline assessment for the whole community.
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That's very interesting.
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And even, for example, for humans, for the employees, how many times do you text?
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How many times do you send emails?
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How many times do you call?
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So, how many times should I text and email?
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Well, if I were a client or maybe someone you're helping out,
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what would be the recommendation that it would be done in a responsible way?
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Again, we do it in a...
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It really depends on the approach.
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For example, if you kept on calling...
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So, there's no template.
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You do the assessment.
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We have our own template.
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And then we provide it.
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For example, if you kept on sending emails, for example, sending emails 100 times a day,
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so you can reduce them, actually.
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We provide them how they're going to do it.
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Even the calls, too.
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That's very interesting.
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So, you were mentioning earlier, before we started the program,
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you were also working with some indigenous communities.
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I would think that they would have a low carbon footprint.
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What are some of the things that you guys are working with?
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Based on our experiences, we had dumagats before, between 2011 and 2012.
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It's in General Nakar in Quezon Province.
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We call it the General Nakar Infanta Real because that area...
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That's where the dumagats are, yeah.
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In terms of tropical cyclones.
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Yeah, tropical cyclones.
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In terms of risk, it's very high.
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So, that's the reason why we chose the dumagats area.
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So, part of our recommendation there is really to let the people be aware,
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to let the dumagats aware about the impacts of climate change.
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So, and we also had experiences with the Mangyans in Mindoro.
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Then we have experiences, we also partner with Tagbanua in Palawan.
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So, part of our training, we don't just go there to interview them.
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Part of what we do is also to train them how to use a science for their own policies.
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For example, in Tagbanua.
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The Tagbanua indigenous people, we trained them.
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We taught them how to use climate modeling, rainfall, temperature.
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Yeah, for agriculture and for fishery.
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Because the Tagbanuas are either farmers and fisher folks.
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So, yeah, they were able to do that.
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And they were surprised.
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Sir Glenn, thank you.
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Your team helped us to understand on what's going to happen in the next 30 or 60 years.
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So, there is a tool, there is a module that we provide to the indigenous people too.
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That's interesting.
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What about some specific households?
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Do you have something for, like, the ordinary people?
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I mean, some recommendations on maybe what to do?
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I mean, the Philippines is quite notorious now for plastics, right?
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Is there something that, you know, that consumer, that could be done on the consumer behavior side of things that would have a big impact?
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You know, little things that we can do, but will have a big impact on the overall problem?
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Are there such things?
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You mentioned the change.
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And that's the bottom of it.
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It's the behavioral change.
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Because once they know what they're doing, once you tell them about the impacts, these impacts, it's more than awareness.
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But it's about telling them and convincing them that, you know, you don't have to be a scientist to make a difference.
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So it all starts with the awareness, but you also have to convince them that they can also provide solutions, that they can do something about it.
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How do you convince them?
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Because, you know, in most households, the attention would be to be efficient in their consumption.
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So they're buying smaller sachets.
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But they end up polluting the environment.
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So how do you convince them that, look, maybe you don't need to scrimp here and create this problem, and you need to be spending more on this, but, you know, it'll be worthwhile down the road?
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For that particular purpose, we deal with the mayor, and then the mayor provides the training to the barangays.
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So there's a session for that.
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So we provide them, these are the things that you're doing, or these are the things that we are doing, this is how you're going to solve it.
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Because, you know, waste is also part of, in terms of GHGs, because it also contributes to your greenhouse gas, depending on the amount of your waste.
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So that's what we also provide.
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So we also do that for PAL.
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And I think PAL is also going to implement that for the employees.
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And it will really create a multiplier effect.
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And that's the main goal.
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We don't want our solutions, again, to be siloed by the community.
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I mean, it has to be taught to the children and to the children's children, because it's not just the concern of today, but it's also the concern of tomorrow.
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I have to take another quick break, but is there a website that they can go to?
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You want to mention that website that they can learn more about the programs and maybe how to partner with your group?
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The website is ongoing.
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It's under construction.
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Is there a social media page that they can go to?
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Yeah, they can go to the Environmental Climate Research Institute, because that's the organization.
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It's a youth-led organization.
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So they can visit that group.
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Thank you very much.
