Greenpeace at Loss and Damage meeting: PBBM, make climate polluters pay!

Lapu-Lapu City — Climate polluters must pay for loss and damage: this was the message that Greenpeace activists sent to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr at the opening of the sixth meeting of the Board for the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) at Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort in Lapu-Lapu City. Standing in front of the hotel, the activists held banners with their message, and conducted a press conference during the short but peaceful activity. President Marcos Jr was instrumental in getting the Philippines to host the board of the fund, which was established to assist countries particularly impacted by the unavoidable impacts of climate change. Greenpeace is calling on the president to stand up for communities and demand accountability from corporations most responsible for climate damage.

“President Marcos can demonstrate real climate leadership by going after the world’s biggest climate culprits. He should demand that they stop fossil fuel expansion and start paying for the cost of climate disasters,” said Greenpeace campaigner Jefferson Chua. “Those most responsible for the climate and environmental emergency must be held accountable through paying their fair share. And the Philippines can lead the way in making this happen.”

The FRLD was established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to finance developing nations to respond to the worst impacts of climate change. But while the developing nations face at least USD 400 billion in losses annually,[1] pledges from developed nations currently amount to only USD 700 million—a mere 0.2% of what is needed.[2]

Experts note that by 2030 loss and damage is estimated to cost developing countries between USD 290-580 billion per year. Yet it has been estimated that the fossil fuel industry made enough super-profits between 2000 and 2019 to cover the costs of climate-induced economic losses in 55 of the most climate-vulnerable countries nearly 60 times over.[3] Greenpeace says that while huge revenues have been generated, countries and companies most responsible for the crisis have yet to pay.

Greenpeace believes that the Philippines’ can play a significant role in international climate action by calling for global support for justice for climate-impacted communities, not only because of its role in hosting the FRLD Board, but because it remains one of the most climate change vulnerable nations in the world.

“Holding polluters accountable and demanding climate reparations are necessary steps to ensure justice for our communities and our future,” said John Michael Migriño, Greenpeace volunteer who survived Super Typhoon Odette . “Thousands of Filipino communities are hit by dozens of supercharged storms every year. Millions of people cannot recover from the financial and emotional losses of these repeated disasters.”

“If the president truly has his people’s best interest at heart, he must commit the nation to this crucial responsibility to influence global climate policy and to stand for climate justice today,” Migriño said.

Greenpeace is calling on President Marcos Jr to:

• Exact climate accountability from fossil fuel corporations by:

- Demanding payment for climate loss and damage from fossil fuel companies and rich nations alike, and championing the Climate Damages Tax and other innovative sources of finance to ensure not just adequate funding, but, importantly, payment from corporations, for loss and damage;
- Calling for an end to oil and gas expansion, and for a fossil fuel phase out

• Steer the country towards a just transition;

• Speed up the passage of, and enact, the Climate Accountability Bill;[4] and

Start the process of litigating the world’s biggest oil and gas companies for climate impact damages to the Filipino people.

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Photos and videos available HERE

Notes to the Editor:

[1] The Loss and Damage Finance Landscape

[2] Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage: Status of Resources

[3] Cost of Delay

[4] The Climate Accountability (CLIMA) Bill is a proposed law that seeks to establish a legal framework for climate loss and damage accountability in the Philippines. The bill seeks to make carbon majors accountable for climate harms, and creates a dedicated fund for communities for climate loss and damage.