As a new entrant in the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2022 that tracks the performance of 63 countries and the European Union on greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy use and climate policy; Malacañang proudly announced that the Philippines ranked 23rd in climate protection performance.
Bonn-based nonprofit Germanwatch rated countries according to four main categories and the Philippines rated low in climate policy, medium in renewable energy, and high in emissions and energy use.
In April, the Philippines submitted its first nationally determined contribution (NDC), which sets a 75 percent emission reduction and avoidance by 2030, as part of its commitment to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
The NDC represents the country’s goal of modernizing and pushing low carbon and resilient development for the agriculture, waste, industry, transport and energy sectors over the 2020-2030 period. It is submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change as the country’s contribution to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, particularly in limiting global warming to well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels or further to 1.5 degrees.
CCPI experts did note that the 75 percent emission target is ambitious, “as is the government’s plan to reduce absolute GHG emissions from there forward.”
The report also rued the lack of a clear plan to achieve the goal, especially as only 2.71 percent of the NDC target remains unconditional. The rest will be pursued in the case of international finance support. It also identified the main problems concerning climate policy performance in the country, which according to experts, not only include ambition, but also delayed or non-implemented provisions.
The Philippines is among the most vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change and global warming. As the world transitions to clean energy, we will need to do our part to be of help to the global effort to minimize the effects of climate change. A decent ranking in the CCPI is a good start but our firsthand experience with the increased destructiveness of extreme weather events serves as a constant warning that we need to do our part and not just wait for those countries that have already benefitted from the damage that has been inflicted upon the planet’s climate to do more.*
