Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte has vowed to create more good green jobs that will provide livelihood opportunities for the city's residents and address climate crisis and poverty.
Belmonte said this during the C40 World Mayors Summit held in Buenos Aires, Argentina from Oct. 19-21, where she joined other world leaders in calling for a common effort to create 50 million good, green jobs by 2030.
"Quezon City's vision of a livable, green, and sustainable city is centered on building an economy that ensures equitable access to environmental goods now and in the future. We believe that creating jobs that sustain a healthy environment provides equal benefits to nature and people, especially the marginalized," the mayor said.
"Thus, programs on sustainable food consumption, clean energy, ecological transport, and circular economy, among others, are actively pursued, while climate financing to support more green investments and jobs are explored," she added.
Belmonte said Grow QC, the city's food security program launched in April 2020, has provided relief for the residents to help them recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and build resilience through nutrition and employment schemes.
Grow QC, which is also one of the finalists at the 2022 C40 Cities-Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards, aims to increase the consumption of healthy and plant-based food, and provide QCitizens with sustainable source of nutritious food, livelihood, and a greener community amid the pandemic.
The local government said the program has established 337 urban gardens and 10 model farms that created livelihood for 4,119 urban farmers, 258 displaced workers, 298 vendors and jeepney drivers. Idle lands were also converted into productive, green, urban farms that help reduce carbon emissions.
The 2022 C40 Cities-Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards celebrates the most ambitious and impactful projects spearheaded by mayors from around the world to tackle global climate crisis (according to www.c40.org).
"This is one of the best examples on how we can fight climate change with opportunities that benefit both the people and the environment. We're showing that good, green jobs exist outside of traditional climate sectors and can set off a domino effect that boosts employment, protects the health of residents, and fights climate change all at the same time," Belmonte said.
“Mayor Belmonte has shown us the job she has created: converting idle land into urban farms in Quezon City, bringing healthy food to the table for the families when Covid lockdown had affected supplies. From 1,400 jobs there , Mayor Belmonte told me that there are now 15,000 jobs. So I guess it is the kind of inflation that we like,” C40 Cities Executive Director Mark Watts said.
The C40 Cities is a network of mayors of around 100 leading world cities working together to deliver the urgent action needed to confront climate crisis.
The C40 World Mayors Summit brought together the mayors of global and regional cities, business leaders, philanthropists, campaigners, youth leaders, scientists and residents, to share ideas, showcase innovative solutions, and stand together to create a sustainable, prosperous and equitable future, according to c40summit.org.