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Philippine groups call for drastic action on environment

Lack of plan could lead to major catastrophes and loss of life
Philippine groups call for drastic action on environment

Philippine environmental activist groups call on the incoming administration of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte to implement "climate justice." (Photo courtesy of PMCJ)

Published: May 26, 2016 08:52 AM GMT
Updated: May 26, 2016 08:56 AM GMT

Climate justice groups in the Philippines called for "drastic policies and actions" to address "catastrophes" that threaten the country due to climate change.

The groups urged President-elect Rodrigo Duterte this week to be true to his promise of "change is coming" during his campaign for the presidency.

Duterte has already unveiled his administration's economic agenda, which includes ensuring the attractiveness of the Philippines to foreign direct investments.

"It is alarming," said Ian Rivera, coordinator of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice.

Rivera said the Philippines' liberal macroeconomic policies have made the country "more vulnerable to climate change impacts."

In the past five years, strong typhoons and prolonged droughts brought about by the changing climate, cost the country billions of pesos in damages and led to the loss of thousands of lives.

Rivera said Duterte's economic agenda need serious "climate proofing."

"We cannot afford a business-as-usual attitude," said Aaron Pedrosa, secretary-general of the labor group Sanlakas.

"Drastic policies and actions must be taken if we aim to make our country and people survive the catastrophes in the future," Pedrosa said.

Gerry Arances of the Center for Energy, Ecology and Development said the Philippines stands at a very "crucial stage" in the energy discourse, where there is a growing rejection of dirty energy.

"Dirty energy has not only been proven to be a risk to the environment, health and livelihood of communities, it is also scientifically proven to be a risk to the economy and development," said Arances.

He said the Philippines, which has approved the construction of coal-fired power plants, is bound to be dependent on coal for the next 25 to 50 years.

"This goes against the international trend of investors ceasing to invest in coal," said Arances.

"We cannot subject ourselves to pay both the financial and environmental cost for energy which has been proven to be a declining industry globally," he added.

In a press briefing on May 25, climate justice groups called on the incoming administration of Duterte to impose a moratorium on new coal-fired power plants pending the conduct of thorough investigation of all coal power plants.

The groups also urged the new president to formulate a strategic action plan that will address El Nino, La Nina and other climate-induced calamities.

Philippine Catholic church leaders have been calling on Filipinos to go beyond the campaign to provide technical and political solutions to the climate issue.

Father Edwin Gariguez of Caritas Philippines said the issue of climate change is not only about curbing fossil fuel production and its carbon emissions, expansion of carbon markets or transitioning to low carbon economies.

"We need to recover the wider ethical context underlying the climate change discourse," the priest said. 

He said the church in the Philippines has the "moral imperative" to act and care for the Earth especially because the country is prone to climate-induced disasters.

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