The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said policies against climate change will have a pivotal role in upcoming development plans as these are much needed to achieve inclusive economic growth for the country.
In a statement on Thursday, Oct. 27, Socioeconomic Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said the integration of climate action into the government’s development plans is "absolute necessity” now more than ever.
Balisacan reiterated the Philippines’ heightened risk against the adverse effects of climate change, highlighting that the country faces an average of eight to nine tropical cyclones annually.
The resulting damages cripple the Filipino people’s sources of food, shelter, and livelihood, the NEDA chief noted.
Super Typhoon Karding, for instance, ravaged areas in Central Luzon just last September, and left with at least P304 million-worth of infrastructural damages and P2.99 billion-worth of agricultural damages.
He also highlighted that the Philippines has a running “ecological deficit” due to the prevalence of harmful and unsustainable consumption practices affecting the environment.
“Our ecological footprint, or the impact created by our population on our environment, goes beyond our area’s natural capacity,” Balisacan said.
“If we do not get our acts right soon, more communities will be routinely displaced, more economic activities disrupted, and more agricultural systems devastated due to these extreme, climate change-induced weather conditions,” he added.
According to Balisacan, the upcoming Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028 will lay out the government’s priorities for pursuing a greener economy and more sustainable, affordable, and livable residential areas by 2028.
“Examples of such priority actions will include mechanisms involving carbon pricing and incentivizing local government units to focus on more climate-friendly projects, such as electric vehicles, sustainable tourism, biodiversity protection, and energy efficiency,” said Balisacan.
NEDA also plans to release the Philippine Action Plan for Sustainable Consumption and Production (PAP4SCP) in November that contains actions enabling the country’s shift towards climate-smart and sustainable practices over the short, medium, and long terms.
Designed toward contributing to climate change mitigation goals, the PAP4SCP intends to expedite the scaling up of renewable energy systems, adopt resource-efficient green technologies, implement sustainable, multi-modal transport, among others.
The CCDR is a core diagnostic report of the World Bank Group analyzing each country’s development goals in the context of addressing the effects of climate change.
These reports help nations prioritize the most impactful actions that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions all while still delivering on their broader development goals.
Balisacan vowed that NEDA will carefully consider and build upon the findings of the CCDR.
He expressed that the report serves as a guiding framework providing further insight into the best practices the Marcos administration can undertake and integrate into policies in order to meet the nation’s medium-term and long-term development goals.