By Miguel R. Camus / Researcher

LEADERS around the world are fast learning two things: one is that global warming is and will continue to be the greatest threat to human civilization in the foreseeable future; and two, fighting it can also be humanity’s next great business.

There’s Barack Obama’s pledge of $150 billion over the next 10 years on renewable energy to create 5 million jobs; and that of European leaders, like French President Nicholas Sarkozy, of €1 billion over four years for future energy; even Japan committed $10 billion to help emerging countries develop green technologies.
The Philippines, too, seems poised to capitalize on this new “green rush,” as was evident at Monday’s launch of National Inventors’ Week organized by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Technology Application and Production
Institute (Tapi). National Inventors’ Week is a five-day event and is a showcase for the inventor’s creations, most of which are not yet in the full production phase, and is being held in the Philippine Trade Training Center from November 17 to November 21.

One of the guest speakers, Mr. Dean Ang Lao Jr., chief operating officer of Chemrez Technologies Inc., said he noticed many “green” technology-oriented offerings from the showcase, particularly in terms of green chemistry, an example of which is biofuel.

“The need is here, and the right time is now. I think the urgency, necessity [for green chemistry innovations] is going to be heavier and heavier,” he told the BusinessMirror at the sidelines after the briefing.

Dr. Carlos Tomboc, OIC-Office of the Director, Tapi, agreed with Lao in a separate interview, saying that “green is among those things we really have to look at because the world market is looking at it. But he added that other initiatives that inventors should “continue” to look into is industrial development.