13th Annual Climate Change Consciousness Week
Vice Chairperson and Executive Director of the Climate Change Commission, Mr. De Guzman; fellow workers in government; private sector and civil society leaders; distinguished guests; friends; ladies and gentlemen: Good morning.
Thank you for this opportunity to participate in the launch of the 13th Annual Climate Change Consciousness Week.
The Climate Change Commission coordinates all government efforts to abate environmental degradation. The Commission also spearheads initiatives to reduce our carbon emissions and advocate for climate justice.
Our recent experiences with severe weather events underscore the urgency — as well as the complexity — of our tasks. In the midst of a protracted battle against COVID-19, we are beset by challenges that are symptoms of a long-term climate crisis.
Over the last five weeks, five strong typhoons entered the Philippine area of responsibility. They wreaked havoc in 12 out of the 17 regions of our country, claiming dozens of lives and damaging livelihoods and properties.
Severe weather events inflict human, social, and economic costs on the Filipino people. We lose billions every year in damage to crops and infrastructure. These mounting losses dampen our overall economic progress. These costs will continue to accumulate unless we move fast on mitigation measures.
Evidence-informed climate action is crucial to providing a safe, comfortable life for every law-abiding Filipino. We need to put forward stronger adaptation and mitigation measures to ensure that Filipinos will not just survive, but thrive in the new and resilient economy.
We can address the climate emergency better and with a more informed approach. Unlike COVID-19 that caught the world off-guard, we have a wealth of information and innovative solutions to deal with the climate crisis. We must be prepared to save lives and prevent the worst possible outcomes.
We must ensure the coherence of our national and local strategies for adaptation and mitigation, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable development.
We must deploy financial tools to build resiliency from the household to the national levels. We must widen the inclusivity of our financial system to mobilize investment and protect families.
Moreover, we can use the COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity to tailor our economic recovery programs to mobilize investments in domestic renewable energy, sustainable urban planning, and climate-smart agriculture.
Our rule should be simple: projects that are not green and sustainable should not see the light of day.
An integral part of our disaster risk reduction strategy should be the restoration and conservation of existing forests. It is time to update our agroforestry policies to prevent the clearing of mountain slopes to make way for agriculture.
I challenge the Climate Change Commission to more aggressively advocate for the protection of our environment. It should advance concrete policy proposals while building public awareness and public support.
I also urge the Commission to help us pursue climate justice from the international community. The Philippines is definitely not one of the world’s heaviest emitters of greenhouse gases, but it is undoubtedly among the most vulnerable to their harmful effects.
Even as we transition to more sustainable economic activities domestically, the Philippines must sustain calls for broader climate justice. President Duterte has already led the way. We in government must stand firmly behind the President in this fight.
The Philippines is well-positioned to make a difference in this battle against the climate crisis. Let us work hand in hand to achieve a new, low carbon economy and a greener future for all.
Thank you.
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