Our environmental problems are intertwined with deeply rooted socio-economic issues. This is a continuing struggle for a nation with high and widespread poverty & wide disparity between the rich and the poor. These inequities have created conflicts among us and have divided our people.
In recent years, we became one of the most climate change-vulnerable countries in the world. This was caused by actions of other countries in their careless industrialization in the past. This will continue in the near future by current actions of emerging countries taking on the same industrialization path today.
In recent years, we became one of the most climate change-vulnerable countries in the world. This was caused by actions of other countries in their careless industrialization in the past. This will continue in the near future by current actions of emerging countries taking on the same industrialization path today.
The root solutions; therefore, require long term, sustained actions that will cover not just the next 6 years but far beyond it. It will require genuine commitment and actions on Sustainable Development that is centred on social justice for the poor It will have to confront the challenges of climate change and its impact to food, water and energy.
While Filipinos did not cause climate change, we should not follow the same type of industrialization of other countries that cause it.
This will help end the vicious cycle and start building our comparative advantage in a future where the world embraces low-carbon green economy and the implementation of the sustainable development goals.
Here are some possible steps towards this GREENING of the real change coming...
While Filipinos did not cause climate change, we should not follow the same type of industrialization of other countries that cause it.
This will help end the vicious cycle and start building our comparative advantage in a future where the world embraces low-carbon green economy and the implementation of the sustainable development goals.
Here are some possible steps towards this GREENING of the real change coming...
- Fully support the 70% reduction target of our carbon emission as part of our national-determined commitments for climate change. A first step is a moratorium on all new coal fired power plants nationwide. On the adaptation side, we must go beyond the failure of the last national greening program and achieve 50% forest cover; both terrestrial and mangrove and beach forests nationwide. In the true spirit of CPR (conservation, protection and rehabilitation), we must vigorously pursue the setting up and maintenance of marine protected areas in every coastal Barangays, removal of excess fish pens beyond the carrying capacity of all lakes, expansion of protected areas and ensuring existing and these future protected areas are completely delineated, guarded sufficiently by properly compensated and sufficiently-armed forest guards.
- Adopt and implement long term (at least 20 years starting with the 6-year term) low-carbon, natural resource & need-based industrialization plan. The plan will utilizes clean technologies, maximizes recycling of resources, optimizes on a mineral development industry. Such a green industrialization plan must continue to ensure our national interest first and will continue to be based on the 60-40 ratio of ownership of Filipinos of all our major industries. This mineral development industry will not be limited to extraction-for-export of ores only. This will have downstream industries in place to support our industrialization for eco-friendly manufacturing that we need for our own use, first and the need of the global market afterwards. In the meantime; while we reach a nationwide consensus on this, there ought to be moratorium on all mining nationwide
- Completion of agrarian reform with this 6-year term with full technical and financial support including irrigation, farmer-breed seeds and ensuring the physical security of small farmers are ensured. Security against land conversion will also be necessary to make the small farming families viable economic units through their productive organic farms. These farms will ensure national and household level food security, create sustainable jobs and stimulate rural development. These in turn will de-congest cities in the long run.
- Adopt, declare and implement targets to adhere to a nationwide “zero waste goal” not only to start solving our waste volume & toxicity problems but also as a way to determine; using a cradle to cradle analysis, whether which type of industrialization activities out to be or not to be done.
- Creation of a commission to conduct a nationwide, multi-stakeholder, long term national energy planning considering demand management and supply planning that will detail the renewable energy transition of the country and provide policy guidelines for private and public investments and implementation of the renewable energy law for the next 6 years.