Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III vowed Wednesday to put the Climate Change Commission (CCC) at the forefront of the global movement to seek climate justice from the international community, with an eye to drastically cutting carbon emissions and escalating efforts to contain the changing climatic conditions.
Dominguez said that with the Philippines’ National Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement, which sets an ambitious 75-percent greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction and avoidance by 2030, “we hope to challenge other countries to act with determination and cohesion to reverse this greatest challenge facing the Earth today.”
As chairman-designate of the CCC, Dominguez said he will also strive to make Filipinos aware that as individuals, each of them plays an indispensable role in helping win the battle against the climate crisis even through simple behavioral changes, such as giving up single-use plastics.
“We have only one planet. All of us must act decisively today in order to save it,” Dominguez said in his remarks at the opening of the Oceana Philippines Wavemakers Wednesday Online Forum.
The forum aims to serve as a platform for civil society groups, the youth and fisherfolk to dialogue with government officials and other stakeholders to push the ban on single-use plastics nationwide, as well as the full implementation of Republic Act (RA) 9003, or the law providing for an Ecological Solid Waste Management Program.
In November last year during the virtual 37th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, President Duterte renewed his call to his fellow Southeast Asian leaders to demand climate justice from developed economies most responsible for the climate crisis wracking the world today.
“I will also ensure that the Climate Change Commission will be at the forefront of the global movement seeking climate justice from the international community. President Rodrigo Duterte has already led the way. We, in government, must stand firmly behind the President in this fight,” said Dominguez during the online forum.
“As I have said on many occasions, I am determined to set the Philippines as an example for all nations in setting the standards for mitigating the impact of climate change. I want us to be a world leader in this area through our ambition,” Dominguez added.
Dominguez said to spur greater action among Filipinos in the fight against climate change, he is determined to lobby the passage of a law banning single-use plastics and ensure that the Philippines strictly adhere to its NDC commitments.
“Through citizens’ groups and networks such as the Oceana Philippines, I hope to reach the greatest number of Filipinos with a clear message that climate change is a threat to our livelihoods and our economy. I am sure that this meeting will convey that message and will determine courses of action to translate these into actual mitigation,” he said.
The Philippines’ NDC goal of 75-percent greenhouse gas emission reduction and avoidance by 2030 is significantly higher than the 70-percent target it provisionally indicated in 2015, as part of the global effort to stabilize the Earth’s temperature.
Of the 75-percent target, 72.29 percent is “conditional” or contingent upon the support of climate finance, technologies and capacity development, which shall be provided by developed countries, as prescribed by the Paris Agreement, he said.
The remaining 2.71 percent is “unconditional,” he added, or shall be implemented mainly through domestic resources.
Dominguez said the country’s ambitious commitment represents its goal of modernizing and pursuing low carbon and resilient development for the agriculture, waste, industry, transportation, and energy sectors over the next 10 years.
The formulation of the Philippines’ first NDC followed a rigorous process and included economic modeling analyses, expert reviews, and consultations with various stakeholders from the public, private and civil society sectors, Dominguez said.
”I thank all the organizations, including Oceana Philippines, for their valuable inputs and support for the government’s vision of an NDC that is ambitious, but practical and doable. Through our NDC, we hope to challenge other countries to act with determination and cohesion to reverse this greatest challenge facing the earth today,” he said.
As for the ban on single-use plastics, Dominguez said he is aware that this will not solve all of the world’s problems on climate change.
“But it is a major step to encourage every Filipino to do his or her part on a daily basis in helping save the world’s environment. We hope that you can help us push forward this important piece of legislation in Congress,” Dominguez told forum participants.
Dominguez said that “behavioral change, as one of the solutions to the climate emergency, must first come from within ourselves and in our homes.”
The Philippines has among the smallest carbon footprints in the world, accounting for only 0.3 percent of global carbon emissions.
But as an archipelago sitting at the juncture of the Pacific Ring of Fire and the Typhoon Belt, he noted that it is among the countries most vulnerable to rising sea levels and extreme weather events.
“The conversation about climate change is very real to us. Each year, we see the increased severity and frequency of typhoons entering the country. Our vulnerability emphasizes the urgent need to adapt to the changing climate conditions,” Dominguez said.
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