JUST IN CASE…
By Anton Antonio
October 8, 2015
The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNCCC)
will be held in Paris, France from November 30 to December 11, 2015. This will be the 21st yearly
session of the Conference of Parties (COP) to the 1992 United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 11th session since the
1997 Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol
is an international treaty, which extends the 1992 UNFCCC that commits State
Parties to reduce greenhouse gases emissions, based on the premise that (a)
global warming exists and (b) man-made CO2 emissions have caused it.
The Philippines, being a part of the UNCCC, the UNFCCC, and
a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol, have submitted its INDC (Intended Nationally
Determined Contributions). Please read…
“CCC BEATS DEADLINE, SUBMITS CLIMATE COMMITMENTS TO U.N. /
PH ‘CONDITIONAL’ COMMITMENT: REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS BY 70% IN 2030”
By Kristine Angeli Sabillo
October 1, 2015
The Philippine government has submitted to the United
Nations the country’s commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, barely
beating the Oct. 1 deadline of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC). Through the Climate Change Commission
(CCC), the Philippines submitted on Thursday it’s “initial” Intended Nationally
Determined Contributions (INDC), which identified both mitigation and
adaptation measures. The INDC was
approved on Thursday by President Benigno Aquino III, chair of the CCC. The country is committing to reduce its
carbon emissions by 70 percent by 2030 while maintaining a “business as usual
scenario” from 2000 to 2030. The carbon
dioxide reductions will come from the sectors of energy, transport, waste,
forestry, and industry. “Since this is
an initial submission, we are looking at updating our INDC as more data becomes
available,” Climate Change Commission Secretary Lucille Sering said in a
statement. Sering clarified that the
commitments were conditional, meaning they could only be pursued if the climate
change negotiations in Paris (21st Conference of Parties or COP21)
during the end of the year would lead to financial resources and the
facilitation of technology transfer. The
secretary said the premise was a result of a consultation held by the
commission with stakeholders. “These
initial commitments are anchored on our policy declaration under the Climate
Change Law of 2009, as amended in 2012, that the state shall cooperate with the
global community in the resolution of climate change issues,” Sering said in a
statement. Climate change advocates and
world leaders are hoping for a legally binding agreement in Paris, which will
help limit the global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius above
pre-industrial levels. Parties to the
UNFCCC are expected to submit INDCs by Oct. 1, which will be compiled for the
UNFCCC secretariat to determine if the country pledges are enough to cover the
convention’s climate goals. The
Philippine government’s 6-page INDC submission states it is based on the
“philosophy of pursuing climate change mitigation as a function of
adaptation.” “As a country highly
vulnerable to climate and disaster risks, mitigation measures as presented in
the INDC will be pursued in line with sustainable development and a
low-emission development that promotes inclusive growth,” it said. The document added that the country
“recognizes its responsibility to contribute its fair share in global climate
action” by avoiding “dangerous anthropogenic (human-caused) interference” with
the climate system.” To come up with 70
percent reduction target, the CCC used average annual population growth of 1.85
percent, historical gross domestic product rates from 2010 to 2014 and a
projected annual average 6.5 percent for 2015 to 2010. Among the important aspects identified in the
INDC was for the Philippines to strengthen its “adaptive capacity” and over-all
resilience. The CCC also emphasized the
importance of mainstreaming climate change adaptation and disaster risk
reduction. Among the measures to be
implemented are institutional and system strengthening for downscaling climate
change models, climate scenario-building, climate monitoring and observation;
and rolling-out of science-based climate/disaster risk and vulnerability
assessment process as the basis for mainstreaming climate and disaster risks
reduction in development plans, programs and projects. “Technical inputs and assistance are critical
for certain sectors such as grid efficiency improvement, standard development
for energy and water efficiency, cost-effective renewable energy, and
alternative or high-efficiency technology for conventional power generation,
among others,” the INDC document said.
Since being devastated by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name:
Haiyan), the Philippines has been the epitome of countries vulnerable to
climate change. Under the Climate Risk
Index of Germanwatch, the Philippines ranked fifth within the period of 1994 to
2014. The CCC, in its statement, said
the government is “poised to make an influential statement to both Annex I and
non-Annex I parties during the negotiations.”
Aquino was invited to attend the Paris climate negotiations but had yet
to confirm his attendance.”
It is apparent that our INDCs (Intended Nationally
Determined Contributions) are conditional and will depend largely on the
financial support and pledges from the UNFCCC.
The question that is bothersome is: “What if the UN pledges no financial
support?” This distinct possibility must
also be seriously taken into consideration.
It is, therefore, imperative for the Philippine government to map out an
alternative plan to cope with an internally financed climate change mitigation
and risk reduction initiative program…just in case.
Thoughts to promote
positive action…
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REFERENCE:
Inquire.net, (2015). “PH Beats Deadline, Submits Climate
Commitments to UN”. Retrieved on October
8, 2015 from http://globalnation.inquirer.net/129069/ph-beats-deadline-submits-climate-commitments-to-un
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