Climate change commission answering call to lead gov’t’s efforts to mitigate effects of climate change to PH
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00:00 There really is no denying that climate change is affecting us in a ton of ways that many of us could have never ever imagined.
00:07 From hotter weather to more frequent and record-breaking volumes of rain,
00:12 the usual patterns that we have grown accustomed to are no longer the norm.
00:16 That very noticeable change many attribute to climate change.
00:20 But despite all these disturbing and to a certain degree life-altering changes, there is hope.
00:26 As the government with the Climate Change Commission on the lead is creating policies and programs
00:32 to make the country a more climate resilient and climate smart Philippines.
00:36 Created upon the passage of RA 9729, also known as the Climate Change Act of 2009,
00:43 the Climate Change Commission was government's response then and up to now
00:47 to the urgent need to mitigate the effects of climate change.
00:53 And here with us tonight to give us an update on the programs that the Climate Change Commission has lined up,
00:59 not only for 2024, but also in the coming years as well,
01:03 and to give us an insight into the purpose and goals of the agency,
01:07 is the Vice Chairperson and Executive Director of the CCC, Secretary Robert Borges.
01:13 Sec. Robert, thank you so much for making it tonight.
01:15 I know you're very busy, so we're going to try to make it short and sweet.
01:18 Okay, so first and foremost, we mentioned earlier that the weather, the climate that we have grown accustomed to is no longer the same.
01:28 But we know that government is hand in hand working with the Climate Change Commission to help mitigate these changes.
01:35 What are the efforts that we have done so far?
01:38 Thank you, Charmz. And I think I'd like on behalf of the Climate Change Commission to thank you
01:43 and your station and network for guesting us tonight.
01:46 It's important for us to convey to our audience the work that's being done.
01:51 And perhaps the single most important thing that our audience should know is that under President Bumbao Marcos, Jr.,
02:00 climate change is on top of his agenda.
02:03 He sees it as the governance challenge of our generation,
02:06 and therefore we must ramp up all of our efforts in both climate change adaptation mitigation efforts.
02:13 It is only under President Marcos' time that climate change and disaster risk reduction is an important part of our Philippine Development Plan.
02:25 So for the first time, Chapter 15, a chapter solely on climate change and disaster risk resiliency was involved.
02:32 And this sets out the priorities and programs of government.
02:37 But be that as it may, we already have several things that are going for us.
02:42 First, if you compare from the previous decades, our early warning signals have vastly improved.
02:48 We'd like to thank Pag-asa and the OSD for working very hard because this is preventive in nature.
02:53 And it's important that science and technology are involved so that we can inform and advise our people on what to do so that we're going to be preventive.
03:03 In the same manner, we have our Department of Transportation working on reducing greenhouse gas emissions of the transportation sector.
03:12 Our Department of Environment and Natural Resources working on nature-based solutions to cushion the impacts of climate change.
03:20 What's key here is that the Philippines, as a matter of strategy, emphasizes adaptation when it comes to climate change.
03:27 Why? Because the Philippines only contributes less than half of 1% to global greenhouse gas emissions.
03:33 And our geographic reality is that we are at the typhoon belt and we need to be ready for this.
03:42 And for tropical cyclones, which hit us on an average of 20 per year, we really need to work hard on adaptation to make sure that our people are out of harm's way.
03:53 And to make sure that our businesses are robust and able to adapt to these changes of the climate, which of course impact also on our economy.
04:01 Wow. Thank you so much for a great first answer. I feel like that already eliminated questions 2 to 5. I'm just kidding.
04:08 But seriously speaking though, Sec. Robert, the President in all his latest foreign trips has been aggressively pushing for certain efforts.
04:17 Things like renewable energy, clean energy, and of course the use of digital technology.
04:21 How do you think these kinds of ideas and efforts would help in the mitigation and adaptation of the changes to the climate and global warming?
04:32 This is very crucial. This shows the vision of the President and his deep and broad understanding of the issue of climate change.
04:38 Adaptation is reacting or adapting to what happens because of climate change.
04:45 But mitigation technically refers to the lowering of greenhouse gas emissions. And how do you do that?
04:51 You do that by improving the energy mix of the Philippines. Right now we are at 29% when it comes to renewable energy sources in our energy mix.
05:00 Under President Marcos, he wants to raise that to 35% by 2030 and to 50% by 2040.
05:07 So if we reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, then automatically we do more than our part in our commitment under the UNFCCC.
05:15 Of course, there are other co-benefits that go with that. It's transitioning basically to a low-carbon and climate-smart economy.
05:25 So there will be opportunities for new jobs, green jobs in fact, for people to be involved in.
05:31 And you also talk about innovation and technology because these are basically sunrise industries in the Philippines.
05:37 So there's going to be a marked improvement on opportunities, both economic and also there's going to be an impact as well on the readiness of our country to achieve our mitigation targets under the UNFCCC.
05:53 Recently, the President as well as different world leaders have also joined the ASEC, which is the Asia Zero Emission Community in pushing for decarbonization.
06:05 Obviously, this is really to combat climate change and the drastic effects we see in different parts of the planet.
06:12 What programs of the ASEC, may I ask, would significantly help combat these changes that we've talked about?
06:19 I think it's important that we make clear that when it comes to net zero emissions or things of that nature, the target is really to address the root cause of climate change.
06:33 And this is increased global temperature because of greenhouse gas emissions.
06:38 And the way to address this again is through mitigation efforts.
06:42 And ASEC is primarily a platform where governments can work and coordinate together and make sure that several mitigation efforts are coherent, not fragmented, and they're aligned with our own national and also international targets.
06:56 So if these countries are in this platform, they're able to exchange opportunities or information on, for example, investments, possible investment opportunities.
07:07 Like in the Philippines, there's a focus on renewable energy investments.
07:12 Therefore, you get that opportunity to inform our stakeholders, whether it's government or private, that these are things that you should invest in.
07:21 Climate change transformative action is basically an investment-led agenda.
07:28 An investment can be public, which is from the coffers of government, or private.
07:33 And in this manner, ASEC provides that opportunity for governments, not via compliance, but via cooperative efforts.
07:41 So this is a part and beyond the obligations that we have under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement.
07:48 So we view it in the Climate Change Commission as a bolstering mechanism for what's already there to hasten or accelerate the transition to, just transition rather, to a low-carbon economy and low-carbon region.
08:01 I like that. I like that it is actually a transformative effort, and it's also investment-driven.
08:08 This is true. You mentioned the Paris Agreement earlier. How are we doing in terms of getting together and also acceding to the goals of climate change commitments?
08:22 Of course, this is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. I know there's one happening this November. We have COP29 in Azerbaijan.
08:30 That's correct. COP29 in Azerbaijan will be building on the accomplishments that we've had in COP28 in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.
08:40 And what's key here is that the Paris Agreement has set forth the obligations and commitments of all parties to the UNFCCC on mitigation, which is to reduce the increase of temperature by 2.1.5 degrees.
08:56 And that's a clear line that we should not cross.
09:02 They've said before that things are looking very… it's difficult to achieve that.
09:13 But what we can say from COP28 and the latest data from global scientists and the IPCC and the AR report is that there is a glimmer of hope, and that's what we should focus on.
09:25 And again, this goes back to the obligations and commitments of countries to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.
09:33 And there is a pathway to that, but the pathway will have to be to transition away from traditional fossil fuels and then to drastically cut them down.
09:43 To a greener economy. That's right.
09:45 Okay. We talked about transforming, adapting to a newer, greener, sustainable economy.
09:53 But at this moment, we have seen weather disasters getting worse and worse.
09:58 In fact, we have been ranked the 17th country in the world that has been the most affected from landslides, floods and tropical storms.
10:06 What would you say is the Climate Change Commission's efforts towards mitigating these natural disasters that we can't stop?
10:15 And I've heard recently there is a P541 million fund that has been allotted for these efforts as well.
10:21 Yes. You're referring to the People's Survival Fund.
10:24 Yes, the People's Survival Fund.
10:25 It's a P1 billion fund from government which is accessed by our local government units for climate adaptation projects.
10:34 And this is a clear, I would say, a clear statement of the commitment of the Marcos administration
10:41 because for the first time, this has reached already P541 million.
10:48 And what it aims to do is to increase the capacities of our LGUs to adaptation.
10:55 So that's already done for 11 of our LGUs.
10:58 But what we want is to further open access to more LGUs.
11:03 This involves a lot of planning. This involves a lot of a stringent process as well.
11:08 But we believe that it opens up opportunities for LGUs to become better equipped with the capacity to adapt to the threats and challenges of climate change.
11:17 So it's just one of the things that's being done.
11:21 This is called climate finance and this is a domestic approach, public funds.
11:26 But again, we should be strengthening our efforts to access also international funds to increase our adaptive capacities as well as to further strengthen our mitigation projects.
11:39 Okay. Sec. Robert, there is a controversial statement where it is said that only actually 1.5% of the global world population,
11:49 the super rich billionaires, actually really contribute to climate changes.
11:55 And the Philippines is but a speck of dust in all of this.
12:00 But of course, we believe that we also carry a significant responsibility to protect our planet.
12:07 Correct.
12:08 What would you think the Philippines would look like if nobody would care about the environment?
12:16 I mean, we are already experiencing a lot of these detrimental effects of neglect and pollution and really destructive efforts.
12:27 It's a triple header of a problem for the Philippines and I don't think I need to explain even more how very graphic that is.
12:36 Even before climate change was recognized as a problem, we've already had issues with landslides, tropical cyclones, and other disasters.
12:45 But I think more to the point on your question, it's a question of climate justice and equity.
12:51 We are a minimal contributor to greenhouse gas emissions globally, but we bear the brunt of the impacts of climate change.
12:59 And as to your question, it's important that our nations, and this has been recognized by the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, there's common but differentiated responsibilities.
13:10 The Philippines, to do its part for transformative global action, can only do so much.
13:17 But we have to make responsible those who are accountable, rather, those who are most responsible for climate change.
13:24 And who are these? These are the countries that have been emitting greenhouse gas emissions for the longest time.
13:30 Remember, climate change is global, historic, and systemic.
13:34 And for the Philippines, these are more than just treaty obligations. What's been stated in the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement for developed countries to provide climate finance,
13:46 what you call this, the capacity building, and also technology and development transfer.
13:54 For us, it's more than a treaty obligation or a legal commitment. It is a moral obligation.
14:00 Why? Simply because the country, the Philippines, the Filipino nation experiences the very worst.
14:05 And it is our people, their livelihoods, and our collective future that are at stake because of climate change.
14:11 And so, there really needs to be more to be done in this area. And the Philippines continues, under President Marcos, to articulate this.
14:21 And what's good is that with the vision of President Marcos, we are getting noticed again.
14:27 We're getting more partners to work with us. And it helps in the effort of the Marcos administration to turn the apparently sad story of climate change from victim to victor.
14:41 And that's the goal for the Philippines, to turn not just the narrative, but the lives of people, transform them from victims to victor.
14:50 Yes, it would be great if we become not just reactive, but actually proactive about the entire situation that's affecting the entire planet.
14:56 We only have one, right? No planet B.
14:58 That's right.
14:59 So, right now, there are so many of our citizens watching us from around the country and around the globe.
15:04 What is your call to action, Secretary Robert, as a final statement?
15:09 It's clear that more needs to be done by government, but government cannot do it alone.
15:14 So, what we ask of our people is that we have four Ps.
15:17 In Filipino, "pag-unawa," "pag-paplano," "pag-ahanda," and "pag-sunod."
15:22 And these are important so that we all get to do our part.
15:26 While climate change is a global issue, we can act local and make our own impacts.
15:30 And I think when you understand climate change thoroughly, you'll be able to plan if you were part of government or any other government agency, and you can prepare.
15:40 And when you do prepare, it's critical that you also, as part of government, we give guidelines to our people, and that includes compliance now.
15:49 But as individuals, what can we do?
15:52 I think the single biggest thing that we can do is be caretakers and stewards of our environment.
15:57 Nature-based solutions is key, and it's important for us to, for example, plant 100 trees.
16:03 Let's all target 100 trees for each Filipinos, and it's going to have a multiplier effect on the things that we do.
16:09 What do we do? We change our habits.
16:12 Let's not be consumerist in our approach.
16:14 Let's be very efficient.
16:15 Let's save on water, on gas, on electricity, on everything.
16:19 Let's not waste.
16:20 It's been said that if we waste our resources and disregard the calls of Mother Nature, then it comes back to us in the form of problems and challenges.
16:29 So that is key.
16:31 A greater sense of responsibility beyond me to we.
16:34 So that's how we get to work as a nation under Bayanihan to really transform our country to one that's climate smart and climate resilient.
16:42 Thank you. Yes, I think the main thing here is to have a perspective shift.
16:45 Thank you so much, Secretary Robert Borja, for your thoughts and for inspiring us that there is hope, and we're moving towards that.
16:51 Thank you so much for your time. The pleasure was mine. Thank you.