Philippines Outlines Plans For Climate Change

How prepared are we, as a country, to meet the challenges of climate change? Based on the government’s response to the United Nation’s Climate Change Commission, it seems that we have done our homework early.

According to the Climate Change Commission (CCC), the Philippines officially submitted its National Adaptation Plan (NAP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on May 30, becoming the 3rd ASEAN country and 56th in the world to do so.

Collaborative Effort

Environment Secretary Toni Yulo-Loyzaga is proud of the collaborative effort behind the NAP, a 30-year plan that covers the years 2030 up to 2050. “It is a dynamic document that will change as the nature and complexity of climate and related hazards shift and human, sectoral, and infrastructure exposure and vulnerability changes,” Yulo-Loyzaga said.

She also stressed that the country could lose an estimated P1.4 if adaptation measures are not implemented by 2030.

According to Aksyon Klima Pilipinas, a network of civil society organizations dedicated to climate action, some key principles in the final version of the document were the result of their lobbying and close coordination. These principles include prioritizing food self-sufficiency and organic agricultural practices, and emphasizing the “unique circumstances of indigenous peoples and their ties to their ancestral lands.”

Outlined Strategy

A NAP is a complete outline of a country’s medium- and long-term strategies for adapting to the current and future impacts of climate change. This could involve enhancing early warning systems, developing agricultural crops resilient to extreme weather, and protecting forests and coastal wetlands.

The submission was made ahead of the 60th session of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation and Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SB60) held in Bonn, Germany. National delegates and civil society representatives typically gather at these sessions as part of the preparations for the annual climate summit of the Conference of Parties.

During these sessions, the Philippines called to “close mitigation and adaptation gaps” and “support development and implementation of NAPs and NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions) by developing nations.”

“We need to build stronger and sustained momentum for transformative climate action, based on science and evidence, indigenous and local knowledge,” CCC Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje said on Monday, June 3, in Bonn.

Source: Philippines submits climate adaptation plan to UN body