NEWS
ENVIRONMENT
Greenpeace Philippines urges PH gov’t to declare ‘climate emergency’
by Janica Bayangos & Joemariequeen Del Rosario
Posted on December 7, 2020
Photo from greenpeace.org
The Philippines’ vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change pushed the environmental organization, Greenpeace Philippines, to send an open letter to the Office of the President.
In their open letter, Greenpeace Philippines asked President Rodrigo Duterte to declare a climate emergency in the country.
“We call on you [President Duterte] to make a Climate Emergency Declaration in the form of an Executive Order that ensures climate change and its impact on the lives of Filipino people is a top government priority.”
- Greenpeace Philippines
They called for the government to formally acknowledge the environmental damages that big corporations, especially fossil corporations, have done in the country.
Greenpeace claimed that extreme weather conditions are worsened by big corporations that contribute to climate change and continue to make Filipinos suffer.
“Year after year, Filipinos are identified among the most impacted globally by this crisis, an emergency situation made worse by the big polluters who have lied and covered up about their contribution, protecting their businesses and profits,” Greenpeace Philippines said.
They reiterated that the country has become vulnerable to natural disasters and climate change and such matters should be dealt with by the government.
“We call on you [President Duterte] to make a Climate Emergency Declaration in the form of an Executive Order that ensures climate change and its impact on the lives of Filipino people is a top government priority,” Greenpeace stated in the letter.
They enumerated in the letter the political decisions and concrete actions that the Philippine government has to accomplish.
The concrete actions called for in the letter are (1) climate urgency from local to the national level, (2) demand accountability from fossil fuel companies, (3) demand industrialized nations enhance their emissions reduction, (4) ensure a rapid transition to a low-carbon pathway by employing renewable energy solutions and (5) phase-out coal and stop all plans for future coal and fossil fuel investments.
Greenpeace Philippines stated that the country should demand other countries, industrialized countries in particular, to improve their emission reduction efforts to uphold the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 degrees Celsius target.
They also stressed that fossil fuel companies should be made responsible for “their role in driving climate change and inflicting harm on the Filipino people.”
The letter was published following the consecutive typhoons that hit the Philippines and caused flash floods in several parts of Luzon. #