CEBU CITY, Philippines — I’ve been within the media business for simply two years—contemporary out of school and internship. A month after graduating, I used to be lucky to affix CDN Digital as a social media specialist and author.
In my work, I’ve encountered numerous tales, together with these in regards to the atmosphere—the great and the dangerous—in Cebu Metropolis and the province.
Lately, I had the chance to attend a global workshop in Malaysia, the place journalists and media professionals from world wide mentioned the challenges of overlaying environmental and planetary well being. With excessive warmth turning into the norm—a transparent warning signal for our planet—these discussions have by no means been extra pressing.
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One thought-provoking query stood out: Ought to universities make environmental well being a required topic? If college students find out about these points early on, may they assist drive actual change?
If this concept positive factors traction, ought to the Philippines take steps to implement it nationwide?
On spearheading Planetary Motion
Throughout our two-day workshop in Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, my fellow journalists and I observed small particulars that carried an even bigger message about sustainability.
One factor that stood out was the strict eco-friendly practices at Sunway College, the place our workshop was held.
Earlier than leaving our respective nations, we had been requested to convey our personal water bottles—one thing that appeared like a easy request at first. However upon arrival, it made good sense: plastic bottles had been strictly prohibited contained in the college.
Even on the resort the place I stayed, water was supplied in reusable glass bottles, and requesting an additional bottle got here with a further cost. This wasn’t only a coverage; it was a transparent dedication to lowering plastic waste—one which set the tone for our discussions on planetary well being.
World journalists convened at Sunway College, Malaysia, for a two-day seminar on reporting local weather, public well being, and planetary well being. | Picture: Sunway Centre for Planetary Well being
After we speak about sustainability in Southeast Asia, Malaysia is making daring strikes.
Dr. Jemimah Mahmood, govt director of the Sunway Heart for Planetary Well being, just lately shared that Malaysia was the primary nation on the planet to develop a “planetary street map”—formally generally known as the Nationwide Planetary Well being Motion Plan (NPHAP).
This plan ensures that sustainability isn’t only a buzzword however a guideline in insurance policies on environmental well being, meals safety, power transition, governance, and even cultural shifts.
And the numbers converse for themselves. In 2023, Malaysia ranked fifth in Seasia Stats’ checklist of the cleanest nations in Southeast Asia, whereas the Philippines positioned eighth. Unsurprisingly, Singapore topped the checklist.
On a world scale, the hole is much more evident. Within the 2024 Environmental Efficiency Index (EPI)—a rating of 180 nations based mostly on local weather change efficiency, environmental well being, and ecosystem vitality—Malaysia positioned 118th, whereas the Philippines lagged behind at 169th.
The EPI, developed by Yale College’s Heart for Environmental Regulation & Coverage in collaboration with Columbia College’s Heart for Worldwide Earth Science Info Community (CIESIN) on the Earth Institute, makes use of 58 efficiency indicators throughout 11 problem classes to measure the state of sustainability worldwide.
The 2024 EPI combines 58 indicators throughout 11 problem classes, starting from local weather change mitigation and air air pollution to waste administration, sustainability of fisheries and agriculture, deforestation, and biodiversity safety. | EPI Web site
These rankings spotlight an important actuality: Whereas Malaysia continues to make strides, the Philippines has a protracted method to go.
However what are behind these numbers? One key issue is training. In Selangor, Malaysia alone, 11 universities supply environmental science applications, making ready a brand new era of sustainability consultants. Faculties like Universiti Malaya, Sunway College, and Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS are actively shaping Malaysia’s inexperienced future.
As Malaysia invests in sustainability, the Philippines nonetheless faces gaps, significantly in training.
Within the Nationwide Capital Area (NCR), solely a handful of universities supply specialised environmental research applications. In response to a 2016 checklist from the Division of Setting and Pure Sources (DENR), these embody Miriam School, De La Salle College-Manila, the Technological Institute of the Philippines, Mapúa College, Philippine Girls’s College, and the College of the Philippines-Diliman.
The COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021) noticed the rise of recent planetary well being applications. St. Luke’s School of Drugs and the Utilized Microbiology for Well being and Setting Analysis Group on the College of the Philippines Manila launched initiatives centered on planetary well being. In 2020, the College of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) launched the nation’s first-ever elective course on planetary well being below its Institute of Organic Sciences.
Exterior Metro Manila, the hole is even wider. As of 2025, Central Visayas (Area 7) has just one college providing an undergraduate program in environmental research and simply two universities with grasp’s applications within the area.
This lack of widespread environmental training raises an pressing query: How can we count on a greener future if we’re not equipping extra college students to paved the way? Whereas Malaysia strikes ahead with a nationwide sustainability roadmap, the Philippines stays far behind—not simply in rankings, however in actual, systemic change.
Sustainability isn’t nearly insurance policies—it begins with consciousness, training, and motion. If Malaysia could make it occur, why can’t we?
Is there a necessity for people specializing within the Setting and Science?
The brief reply: Completely.
As local weather challenges develop, so does the necessity for specialists who can perceive, interpret, and deal with them. But, their work typically goes unnoticed in public discourse.
On the identical workshop, we spoke with Dr. Ju Neng Liew, an Affiliate Professor at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Division of Earth Science and Setting. His discuss centered on local weather attribution to warmth occasions in Asia and their impression on ecosystems. He offered intensive information on excessive climate patterns throughout Southeast Asia.
By the top, many people—together with myself—felt overwhelmed. With a lot information to course of, we struggled to find out what to give attention to.
To interrupt the strain, one participant requested:
“What ought to we, as journalists, be specializing in? What sort of information do you want from us?”
Dr. Liew’s response was placing:
“I don’t keep in mind studying any media articles in regards to the wants and necessities of extra [environmental] scientists.”
His phrases uncovered a important hole, not simply in local weather reporting but in addition within the want for extra folks devoted to environmental science. He additionally famous that scientists and environmentalists had their very own language, making it tough to translate complicated findings for the general public.
I requested if synthetic intelligence (AI) may compensate for the decline in scientists—whether or not it may assist arrange and translate local weather information for public understanding. His response was clear:
“AI positively helps in some facet, however you do want brains, so AI can’t simply extrapolate one thing…You want brains to dabble within the understanding. AI may solely translate what a lot you’ll be able to perceive.”
His perception underscores the necessity for specialists who can analyze, interpret, and talk environmental information successfully. Science alone isn’t sufficient; bridging the hole between analysis, media, and public consciousness requires expert people who could make local weather points accessible, actionable, and pressing.
No different method however ahead
The Philippines, particularly Cebu, should transfer on and work in the direction of enchancment in world and environmental well being. It may now not be left behind, whereas its neighbors like Malaysia are investing in sustainability via coverage, training, and systemic efforts.
Malaysia confirmed what can be doable with coverage, funding, and training. We might be equally nice right here within the Philippines—however provided that we prioritize environmental literacy. Universities can now not make sustainability an elective; it should be a part of the curriculum.
If the imaginative and prescient is for a greener, extra sustainable future, the query is now not whether or not we act however why we didn’t act sooner.
