Name: Mohammad Hussien P.

Guiling Date: July 24, 2020

Section: Grade 12 – Cabeo A Teacher: Mr. Leonard Jaco Apas

The coronavirus has been one of the greatest challenges that the world is facing right
now since the World War II ended. Unfortunately, it has been declared as pandemic by the
World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. Similarly, the climate change poses a
great threat too. Truly, the author of the article wants us to realize that both the virus and
climate change need urgent and bold action from its humans. Because of the widespread of the
said virus, countries such as China, the epicenter of the pandemic, Italy, New Zealand,
Philippines and other countries have imposed national lockdowns. Due to the rising cases of the
virus in the Philippines, the country has been identified as one of the vulnerable countries due
to its inability to address the pandemic properly and its subjection to China. In addition to that,
the climate change became severe and more frequent. Accordingly, in the last five years from
2015 to 2019, it has been declared that it was the warmest on record.
The world needs humanity possessing leadership and solidarity in order to defeat the
coronavirus. As one of the millions of Filipinos affected, I acknowledge the need of the State to
act and to address the emergency brought by both the virus and climate change. These
governments and their healthy systems – though some may struggle – have the capacity both in
government resources and infrastructures to respond to Covid-19. Likewise, their citizens can
access and afford the best health care possible (Federigan, 2020, para. 25). Unlike the
Philippines, the economic stress brought by the pandemic is considered higher and greater. On
the other hand, the climate change exposes the human’s health to greater risk, being the
reason why it was declared as emergency. WHO considers climate change to “be the greatest
threat to human health in the 21st century” (Federigan, 2020, para. 12). In my point of view,
even if the government defeats the pandemic, the Earth has already run out of time and that
climate change will cause more crisis.
To conclude, both emergencies need crucial response so as to defeat them. Now that
this country is one of the most vulnerable places to such, the State must come up with solutions
that will benefit the community and its people. In this moment of crisis, we have to act boldly
and with urgency to beat covid-19 and address the climate emergency. We are all in this
together and we must win both battles (Federigan, 2020, para. 28).