Malacañang said the government is now considering declaring a national climate emergency following the series of strong typhoons that devastated parts of the country this year.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said this will give President Rodrigo R. Duterte the opportunity to come up with a “permanent solution” to the effects of climate change.
“Well, I think this will be studied by the Palace because of the declaration of the President in the UN (United Nations) General Assembly and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN),” Roque said during an online press briefing on Tuesday.
He made the statement in response to the appeal of Greenpeace Philippines for the country to declare national climate emergency.
During his speech before the UN General Assembly last Sept. and in the recently concluded 37th ASEAN Summit, Duterte raised the issue of climate change and how it needs a global response since it is now threatening lives of many people in several countries, including Philippines.
He demanded developed countries to make drastic cuts in their carbon emission, which trigger climate change.
Duterte attributed the massive damage caused by typhoons Rolly (international name: Goni) to the effects of climate change.
“It remains a top priority of the President because we know there are studies, which say Philippines is among the top five countries of the world, which are the most susceptible to climate change,” Roque said.
Labor coalition Nagkaisa supported the initiatives of the government to demand compensation developed countries accountable for natural calamities, which are said to be brought about by climate change.
“To us, the government must be present not only in calamity-hit areas but also in the negotiating tables pressing rich countries and their TNCs (transnational companies) to pay for climate debts they owe us,” Nagkaisa said.
“Either we, the taxpayers, will continue footing those bills forever or we charge them all to the world’s biggest polluters,” it added.
TNCs, the coalition said, are firms involved mostly in the extraction and production of fossil fuel.
Image credits: Philippine Coast Guard via AP