Greenpeace: Duterte’s climate action call a little too late

QUEZON CITY, Philippines (19 April 2022) – President Duterte on Monday said that he hopes the next administration will do better in the fight against climate change. After visiting areas hit by Tropical Storm Agaton (Megi), Duterte said the top emitters of planet-warming greenhouse gasses should compensate the Philippines for damages resulting from climate hazards.

Reacting to this, Greenpeace Philippines Country Director Lea Guerrero said:

“Greenpeace agrees with President Duterte that those most responsible for the climate crisis must be held accountable for its impacts on communities. We believe this should include both industrialized nations as well as fossil fuel corporations.

“However, it seems that President Duterte has finally admitted to his administration’s abject failure to rise up to the challenge of the climate crisis. There was a lot more that he could have done, and definitely the momentum was there: we saw him talking about climate justice in international meetings, the Congress passed a Climate Emergency Declaration, and the DOE even declared a moratorium on new coal. But it seems that all this was just for show: the country’s coal use has actually risen despite the moratorium, the Climate Emergency Declaration was not followed through with meaningful policies on climate action, and the calls for climate justice remained lip service.

“At the same time, our Nationally Determined Contribution[3] remains unambitious, and so do our renewable energy (RE) targets. Moreover, the administration has set us up for massive fossil fuel expansion through numerous fossil gas facilities, as well as for dangerous and expensive nuclear power plants through onerous midnight deals with foreign interests. Several destructive projects are also underway, such as reclamation plans and the infamous Kaliwa Dam, at a time when we need to be building the resilience of ecosystems to help us withstand climate impacts.

“Duterte’s statement is not an admission of guilt; rather, it is just another empty pronouncement, like his previous promises of putting the environment at the top of his priorities, and holding the world’s top carbon emitters accountable for the climate crisis. But we do agree with him that the next government must do a lot better in addressing this issue. More importantly, they need to reverse the backward policies made during this administration. The incoming government will have its plate full and would need to hit the ground running on climate action. Greenpeace believes that the next president not only needs to have guts and vision to put communities’ and people’s welfare before corporate interests, confront big polluters, and speed up the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy–they must also support people’s participation in governance, strengthen democratic institutions, and advance and protect human rights, among others.”

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Notes to Editors

[1] Greenpeace calls:

• Climate action and climate justice must be mainstreamed across all local and national government policies and programs (for example in city planning, infrastructure projects, permits for large-scale industrial activities, and fisheries and agricultural policies, among others)
• Plans for economic recovery from the impacts of the pandemic must build in climate action (i.e. a green and just recovery plan)
• Coherent strategies beyond disaster response must be put in place, and these should also address long term vulnerabilities, not just disasters
• A rapid and just transition to a low-carbon pathway must be instituted through a massive uptake of renewable energy solutions
• The call for climate justice must be central to our foreign policy
• Businesses must be made to align with the 1.5 commitment in the Paris Agreement, and must be mandated to bring their operations in line with the science to address the human rights impacts of climate change
• Full implementation and strengthening of the country’s environmental policies must also be prioritized 
• Coherent strategies beyond disaster response must be put in place, and these should also address long term vulnerabilities, not just disasters. Adaptation programs must be consistent with the aim of building resilient communities better able to adapt to the impacts of a changing climate over the long haul, while  forging solutions sensitive to local realities that would reduce if not prevent environmental risks to vulnerable communities. 
  

[2] Greenpeace: Climate Emergency Declaration only the beginning
[3] DOE must step up to mend PH’s delayed, underwhelming climate targets 
[4] Greenpeace on ‘fishy’ midnight nuclear deals: PH gov’t claims on nuclear ‘not grounded in reality’