Dr. Brian Poe Llamanzares, a climate change and sustainability specialist and the son of Senator Grace Poe, has visited the UAE on June 19 at the Gate Village, DIFC. During his visit, he conducted a book promotion event and hosted a round table discussion on sustainability, bringing together esteemed officials and environmental advocates from both the Philippines and the UAE.
After his successful book launch on November 29, 2022, Llamanzares has gone around the world to introduce his book “A Sustainable Future.” During the forum in Dubai, he bared that he wrote his book to raise awareness about the Filipino fight for sustainability.
“There’s very little literature written from a Filipino perspective. There’s a lot of NGOs, there’s a lot of governments that write about sustainability in the region, specifically in the Philippines, because it’s such an interesting test case. But there’s very few Filipino authors who write about what it’s like from the local perspective and what our actual government is doing,” Llamanzares said.
Llamanzares has embarked on tours of prestigious universities such as Columbia University, where he earned his Master’s degree in Climate and Society in 2018, as well as Fordham University, Boston College, and Harvard University. Throughout his tours, he observed a significant shift in the current generation’s awareness and acknowledgment of sustainability issues, highlighting the growing recognition compared to previous times.
“You know, one of the things that I really appreciated about doing the book tour is I guess when I was going to college, anyone that was talking about climate change would have just been a nerd. But in going around now, it’s so nice to see all the young people who recognize the issue, who actually know things about sustainability as an issue, and are willing to commit through like somehow participating in finding a solution,” he explained.
In an interview with The Filipino Times, Llamanzares shared some key ideas on sustainability that every Filipino should know or practice in the Philippines. He emphasized the importance of managing water and energy resources responsibly — that we can actually contribute to a sustainable future by making conscious choices in our daily lives.
“I want Filipinos to realize is that sustainability is not a high-minded thing. It’s something that affects us on a daily basis, or in Filipino, ‘di siya malayo sa bituka,’ because it affects everything from the food we eat, to the vehicles we drive, to the work environment we live in. All of it is affected by sustainability,” he said.
When asked how he thinks Filipinos, especially OFWs, can contribute to building a sustainable future, Llamanzares emphasized the importance of knowledge sharing. He explained, “Siyempre, pagdating sa mga OFWs natin, they see all the great things other countries are doing back home, kinekwento nila ‘yun sa mga kababayan natin back home. That story could be enough to inspire a young entrepreneur to start a sustainable business or a student to pursue a career in environmental science. Small actions and stories can have a big impact on shaping a sustainable future.”
His book “A Sustainable Future” is available in physical bookstores in the Philippines and can also be purchased from various online shopping platforms.
