The Philippines is a tropical country. We have 2 seasons which is the wet and dry season. The wet season or rainy season starts anytime of May to September. From October-December there are seasonal rain showers and thunderstorm. December is usually cold until February. And March is when the heat starts and you can feel that Summertime is nearing. But right now here in the Philippines we are experiencing the hottest Summer I've had in twenty nine years of my existence. It has becoming more and more hotter every year. When I was a kid, I used to spend my summertime in the province. We can survive with only one electric fan for the whole family. My grandparents would open all the windows and doors of the house, and we can sleep peacefully without depending on the electric fan for ventilation. Its cooler then. I was referring in the year 1980's. But as time changes and the world has become hotter and hotter because of the global warming that the whole world is experiencing. Population has increasingly doubled or tripled through the years. Philippines now is overpopulated in relation to the smaller landmass of the Philippines which is only approximately 300,000 sq.kilometers. According to CIA World Factbook Philippine population of 2009 is 97, 976,063 (July 2009 est.) And the more increasing population in the Philippines the more it increases the usage of energy per individual. Its no wonder that Philippines has become hotter every year.
Previous Summers' temperature in the Philippines is bearable. Airconditioning unit is not a must, but a luxury. But summer 2010, I can say that aircon is not a luxury anymore but a necessity. Before, we rarely use our two units of aircon in the house. Because there's no need. But right now, there is no place inside the house that has a room temperature anymore. Whether its day or night the temperature is like being near a bonfire or an open stove. It is irritating to sleep with an electric fan only. Coz the air it produces is also hot. If you want to have a goodnight sleep, better turn on the aircon and sacrifice to pay a higher electric bill. Than to suffer heat stroke, which is common nowadays. In the morning it is not safe to walk in the sun unprotected from 9am to 4pm. Not only the directsunlight can damage the skin but the air that blows is unbearably hot and humid.
There are constant campaigns to lessen global warming in the Philippines and the whole world as well. There are different government and private organizations and companies that innitiates the campaign. To turn off the lights and other heat generating appliances for an hour. This helps to cool down the temperature.
Its unfortunate that there are still many Filipinos that aren't aware of the causes of global warming. That they are partly a contributor of the global warming. Some would still burn dry leaves and garbage that is not only harmful for the ozone but it adds to the heat that is trapped in our atmosphere. For some people who are aware or have a bit knowledge about it, they simply not care. I hope that people will realize that if we don't act and do something about this, sooner or later we can no longer bear the heat of summertime in the Philippines like we used to. Its not impossible that we will soon be needing airconditioned homes in our everyday lives.
