June 18, 2021
Carlos G. Dominguez
Secretary of Finance
Ms. Angelina Galang, President of Green Convergence; Ako Ang Bukas Movement Advisory Council Members, Champions, and Steering Committee Members; Environmental organizations; distinguished guests: Good afternoon.
I am happy to join you today as you launch this mass movement with the goal of achieving climate neutrality by the year 2050.
The biggest challenge of our time is climate change and our greatest defense in this battle is climate literacy. This event is a very appropriate venue to ignite our educational campaign to save the only planet we have.
People do not realize it, but climate change will hit us like a tsunami if we continue to do nothing about this worsening crisis. It could wipe away all our economic gains in one blow if we fail to mitigate it. It is, therefore, very important that each one of us understands this issue.
We have to do much more to fight the climate crisis by comprehensively changing the way we live and the way we do things. The effort to end this crisis will require a whole-of-society approach. It must involve each individual, every family, and all communities.
The fight against climate change will also require dramatic changes in our policies. Last April, the Philippines submitted to the Paris Agreement an ambitious goal for reducing our national carbon footprint.
Our nationally determined contribution is now set at 75 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. We set this ambitious emission target to demonstrate to the rest of the world our firm resolve to put an end to the climate crisis. Being among the countries most vulnerable to the ill-effects of climate change, we ought to approach this crisis with greater determination and creativity.
The Climate Change Commission, of which I am the Chairperson-Designate, is now preparing a comprehensive roadmap towards achieving the tough goals we set for ourselves. This will require, in the near term, banning single-use plastics. It should not be a source of pride that seven of the top ten rivers identified as the top plastic polluters of the oceans are in the Philippines.
We are also currently establishing a sustainable finance ecosystem to synergize investments from both the public and private sectors. We look forward to yielding–very soon–green social projects that will have a lasting and permanent impact on the world’s environment and on our people.
Just this week, we used Sulong Pilipinas as a platform to raise public awareness and spur climate action among the biggest stakeholders of the future–our youth. I am very happy with the outcome of the event, especially their well-crafted top actionable recommendations. These will form part of our comprehensive roadmap towards reversing climate change.
I am glad that our civil society organizations have banded together to build strong public support for our nation’s climate ambition. This Movement will be a shining example of an empowered people’s initiative to build a sustainable and healthier future for our country.
I wish this Movement all the strength, courage, and determination in this long fight to save our planet and our civilization. This is a battle we cannot afford to lose.
Thank you.
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