DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 04 June) – Around 300 bikers here joined thousands of bikers from 20 different cities in the Philippines and five countries in Asia for the “Pedal for People and Planet” on Sunday, a coordinated bike action series calling for “real solutions” to the climate crisis.
Ruel Kenneth Felices, digital campaigner for Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS), told MindaNews on Sunday that the event from 6 a.m. until 7:45 a.m. gathered bikers from various groups to support calls for “immediate and bold actions to address the climate crisis.”
The ride started at Freedom Park along Roxas Avenue, on to Quezon Boulevard, McArthur Highway, Matina Aplaya Road, Ecoland Drive, Quimpo Boulevard, San Pedro Street, C.M. Recto, and back to Roxas Avenue.
The Davao City Bike Ride was organized by the Sustainable Development Movement, United Cycling Adventure Society, Inc., Kleta, IDIS, Youth for Climate Justice, Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, Ecoteneo, and the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development.
The international cycling event was simultaneously held in Atimonan, Batangas, Bulacan, Camarines Norte, Mauban in Quezon Province, Rizal province, Isabel in Leyte, and the cities of Bacolod, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Naga, Toledo, and Zamboanga.
The event, also held in major cities of Vietnam, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India, was conducted on the eve of World Environment Day and before the
start of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Intersessional Meetings in Bonn, Germany from June 5 to 15, “to draw attention to the severity of the climate crisis, and advocate for ambitious and equitable climate solutions.”
The environmentalists demanded governments and corporations to take “urgent and necessary measures” to mitigate the effects of climate change.
In Davao City, the groups demanded prompt resolution of various environmental challenges and urged local officials to take proactive actions such as “rejecting dirty energy, opposing waste-to-energy incineration, investing in true zero-waste solutions, expanding green spaces, building conducive infrastructure for non-motorized vehicles, and preserving natural resources such as heritage trees, urban wetlands, and watersheds.”
IDIS executive director Atty. Mark Peñalver said “real climate solutions” should be composed of various approaches including the adoption of renewable energy, sustainable land management, emissions reduction in transportation, adaptation measures, sustainable consumption, and global collaboration.
“The time for action is now, and we must act decisively and ambitiously to address the urgent challenges posed by the climate crisis,” he said.
Rara Ada, Campaign Coordinator of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, emphasized the need for a “decisive shift away from fossil fuels” in Davao, which would serve as an example for other highly urbanized cities in the country and the world. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
