Transforming consumption and production patterns will be vital in accelerating the country’s shift toward a more sustainable and climate-smart economy, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said.
In the event Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028: From Plan to Action focusing on the Plan’s Chapter 15: Accelerate Climate Action and Strengthen Disaster Resilience, the NEDA called for the implementation of actions to accelerate sustainable consumption and production (SCP) in the country.
According to the NEDA, this could be done through the Philippine Action Plan for Sustainable Consumption and Production (PAP4SCP) and the operationalization of the Roadmap to Institutionalize Natural Capital Accounting in the Philippines or the NCA Roadmap.
“Given today’s technological advances, sustained levels of high growth need not be at the expense of the environment,” NEDA Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said.
"We must promote consumption and production patterns that maximize current and future welfare, allowing us to balance the pressing needs of today with the optimal preservation of our natural resources for future generations,” he noted.
To this end, the PAP4SCP contains various strategies and actions to influence the behaviors and practices of consumers and producers to reduce waste and environmental degradation.
Moreover, the PAP4SCP includes programmatic interventions across sectors and levels of government towards decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation.
Meanwhile, the NCA Roadmap provides strategic guidance for the full institutionalization and integration of NCA in the government’s planning, policymaking, investment programming, and comprehensive accounting of the country’s wealth.
“To make sure we are fully aware of the environmental impact of our economic activities, we must measure and properly account for the use of our natural resources,” Balisacan said.
“The PAP4SCP and the NCA Roadmap are integral in translating the PDP goal and strategies into implementable actions to realize our country’s Ambisyon Natin 2040,” NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie G. Edillon said.
“However, we must keep in mind that the government cannot certainly do this alone. Our concerted effort is key to accelerating the country’s shift toward a more sustainable and climate-smart economy,” Edillon added.
Representatives from the government, private sector, development partners, and civil society conveyed their messages of support and shared their respective initiatives related to SCP and NCA.
This event, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is part of the NEDA’s series of advocacy activities that aim to foster a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach in implementing the strategies and priority actions espoused in the PDP 2023-2028.