The Philippines has called for an end to the debate on climate change, and for nations to start implementing concrete actions to fulfill their respective commitments and “obligations to humanity” to save the planet from an environmental catastrophe.
“The Philippines is determined to be a world leader in this fight against climate change,” Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III told fellow leaders at the 26th United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland.
Dominguez said the Philippines is moving ahead with urgency to fulfill its ambitious target, noting it has already shifted from theorizing about climate change to executing practical climate adaptation and mitigation projects on the ground.
He pointed out that the Philippines has put together a group of Filipino experts who represent all corners of the Philippines to engage fishermen and farmers to prepare them to execute localized action plans.
Dominguez said the commitments that nations have to flesh out include building a framework for climate justice to ensure that countries that have “polluted and continue to pollute the earth's environment must pay for the grants, investments, and subsidies needed for the most vulnerable countries.
Developed countries have fallen short on their commitment formalized at the 16th COP meeting to mobilize $100 billion per year by 2020 to assist developing countries in fighting climate change.
“We have very high expectations for this COP26 meeting to become not just merely an annual platform for discussion but a catalyst for concrete action plans. It’s time that we do some actual work on the ground and build a framework for climate justice,” he said.
Dominguez, who is Chairman-designate of the country’s Climate Change Commission (CCC), heads the Philippine delegation to the two-week COP26.
“The time for debate is over. This is the time to finally begin acting on the fulfillment of our commitments and obligations to humanity,” Dominguez said.
On the part of the Philippines, Dominguez said it has begun implementing concrete actions to demonstrate to the world how a developing and climate-vulnerable country can lead in the fight to save the planet.
“This also shows that our commitments are not merely empty or half-baked promises, but are supported by actionable projects on the ground,” Dominguez said.
As its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement, the Philippines has set a bold and ambitious commitment of projected greenhouse gas emission reduction and avoidance of 75 percent from 2020 to 2030 for the agriculture, wastes, industry, transport, and energy sectors.