The green transition

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has underlined the important role of the youth in accelerating the green transition, which aims to turn communities into patches of green edible landscapes.

These include technical knowledge and skills that enable the effective use of green technologies and processes in occupational settings, as well as transversal skills that draw on a range of knowledge, values and attitudes to facilitate environmentally sustainable decisions in work and in life.

a Bontoc man and the cerebellum of a person from Suyoc. Some months later, doctors at the Fair sent him the brains of a Tagalog person and a Filipino Muslim.

The Post interviewed FilipinoAmerican activist and artist Janna Añonuevo Langholz, who believes that the Suyoc cerebellum is that of Maura, a Kankanaey Igorot who died of pneumonia before the Fair began. She was the only person from the Suyoc group whose death was reported in the press.

The brains of the 23 other Filipinos were taken from various sources around the Philippines, including some patients at the Philippine Medical School (now the University of the Philippines-Manila College of Medicine).

The Post article goes on to discuss ethical ways of dealing with the brains and other collected body parts, including the repatriation of the remains.

It also shares more interesting information, including how the Philippine Embassy in D.C. responded when contacted by the Smithsonian after the Post began reporting.

“Revealing the Smithsonian’s ‘Racial Brain Collection,’” written by Nicole Dungca and Claire Healy, is a bombshell debut for the series and is a must-read.

The succeeding articles are to be anticipated for more details on the brain collection, which has never been publicly displayed.

It was only when the Post started investigating that anyone realized how large the collection is, and how touching and poignant the stories behind some of the remains.

All this information provokes thought about the ethics of acquiring, keeping, and maintaining artifacts in museums.

The issue of museums holding human body parts without consent poses a moral dilemma, as it perpetuates a history of exploitation and disregards the dignity and rights of the deceased and their descendants.

These remains often originate from marginalized communities (as the Post has shown in this instance) and have been subjected to colonial exploitation and scientific curiosity.

Museums, by holding onto these artifacts, perpetuate a legacy of cultural theft and objectification.

In particular, the Smithsonian’s brain collection is particularly repugnant as the vast majority of the remains were taken without consent in an attempt to prove a reprehensible and immoral concept –White supremacy.

Returning these ill-gotten remains to their rightful descendants or cultural communities is an act of acknowledging the past wrongs and granting closure to grieving families and communities. Restitution and repatriation are vital steps toward rectifying historical injustices and fostering a more equitable future.

By returning human remains to their cultural communities, museums contribute to healing and reconciliation.

This process embodies the principles of respect, empathy, and recognition of shared humanity—which should be the purpose of museums in the first place.

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The President, during the International Youth Day this month, said the young population, who serve as “both the trailblazer of the modern world and hope of the future,” has a crucial role in attaining a more sustainable economy.

The chief executive was on track when he said the youth’s role in undertaking ecological initiatives must be “aggressively” pushed to ensure the full realization of everyone’s desire to have a “healthier home we all deserve.”

“May our love for the youth and Mother Earth be the guidepost as we commit to our collective desire to embark on a green transition,” he said.

“Together, let us embrace this social contract and move towards a future that efficiently, inclusively, and sustainably works for all.”

The President admits drawing inspiration from “the encouraging visions of young Filipinos who exude eagerness to evoke transformational movements that positively impact the current and coming generations.”

This year’s annual observance of International Youth Day carries the theme “Green Skills for Youth: Towards Sustainable World.”

Earlier on. the United Nations said the youth’s ‘green skills’ are essential to a successful transition to the green economy

This means the shift towards an environmentally sustainable and climatefriendly world is critical not only for responding to the global climate crisis but also for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Experts say a successful transition towards a greener world will depend on the development of green skills in the population: knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a sustainable and resource-efficient society.