The national government (NG) will work intensively with the Congress and local government units (LGUs) to achieve the Philippines’ commitments on climate change under the Paris Agreement aimed at drastic cuts in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and stronger climate resilience by 2030, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said Thursday.

Dominguez said that while the Philippines aims to reduce its GHG emissions, it also needs to build its resiliency against the adverse effects of climate change, which, he pointed out, was a far more complex problem than the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“We must build the popular consensus and political will to undertake the mitigation measures. This will require both public education and coordinated policy action,” said Dominguez at the opening of the Earth Day 2021 virtual conference spearheaded by the Climate Change Commission (CCC).

To jumpstart the fight against climate change in the country, Dominguez said the CCC, of which he is chairman-designate, will push the passage of a bill banning single-use plastics.

“This great battle against climate change requires a whole-of-nation approach. Today, I call on every Filipino to support our goal for a much healthier and greener Philippines,” Dominguez said.

He said banning single-use plastics will be a major step to encourage every Filipino to do his or her part on a daily basis in helping save the environment.

“We hope that Congress’ timely passage of this important legislation will happen,” Dominguez said during the event that was attended by Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Speaker Lord Allan Jay Velasco.

Quirino Gov. Dakila Carlo Cua, the national president of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) and national chairman of the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP), was also present at the event.

“Your presence is very encouraging. In the coming period, the national government will be working intensively with Congress and local governments to achieve our commitments to the Paris Agreement,” Dominguez said.

The Philippines submitted on April 15 its first National Determined Contribution (NDC) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as part of its commitment to the Paris Agreement.

The Philippines’ NDC sets a 75-percent GHG emission reduction and avoidance by 2030, or higher than the 70-percent conditional GHG cut target submitted in 2015.

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.

The remaining 2.71 percent is “unconditional” or shall be implemented mainly through domestic resources.

Compared to the Philippines’ Intended NDC that was submitted in 2015, this first official NDC conveys a higher target of five percentage points and includes an unconditional commitment of climate action.

The Philippines only accounts for 0.3 percent of global carbon emissions, yet it is among highly vulnerable countries that bear the brunt of the consequences of global warming.

Dominguez said the Philippines’ ambitious NDC underscores the urgency with which the government views “this greatest challenge facing the earth today.”

“We intend this to be a strong signal to the international community to be more aggressive in addressing the deteriorating state of the planet,” Dominguez said.

“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,” he added.

Dominguez earlier issued a statement stressing the full support of the Department of Finance (DOF) to the enactment of legislative measures pending in the House committee on ecology and the Senate committee on environment, natural resources and climate change that seek to phase out single-use plastics and ensure extended producer’s responsibility on the large-scale collection, sorting and recycling or reuse of plastics.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic should be treated as an opportunity to enact responsive policies to safeguard the future of communities, the environment and the Filipino people, and ensure that economic growth is anchored on stability and environmental sustainability.

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