Duterte signs Paris agreement. Why now?
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and sent it to the country鈥檚 Senate, which is expected to ratify it.
Under the agreement, Manila aims to reduce its carbon emissions by 70 percent by 2030 鈥� an amount open to revision 鈥� and will receive assistance from the United Nation鈥檚 Green Climate Fund to do so.聽Duterte's commitment comes more than 10 months after the agreement was signed by more than a hundred countries at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Since taking office last June, Mr. Duterte has drawn increasing criticism from other international leaders for his actions in聽launching a bloody war on drugs. But both Filipinos and outside observers say that he sees climate change as a top national priority.
鈥淐limate change is so much part of his agenda,鈥� the Philippines鈥� Climate Change Commission Vice Chairperson Secretary Vernice Victorio . 鈥淚t鈥檚 in the Philippine Development Plan, it鈥檚 in his agenda. It鈥檚 everywhere. So don鈥檛 worry, [for] those who think he鈥檚 not into climate change.鈥�
The risks of climate change are real for this vast island nation. Last year, the risk-analysis firm Verisk Maplecroft on its Climate-Change Vulnerability Index.
Observers worry that, as global temperatures rise, natural disasters like , which killed more than 6,300 Filipinos, left more than 4.37 million homeless,聽and caused more than $2 billion in damages, could grow more frequent.
The NGO EcoWatch, citing a Philippine government study, :听
[A] destructive typhoon season costs the nation two percent of its gross domestic product. It costs another two percent to rebuild the infrastructure lost, putting the Philippines at least four percent in the hole each year from tropical storms. And when you鈥檙e a nation aspiring to grow and create better lives for your citizens, this regular hit to the economy is the last thing you can afford.
Since Haiyan, the UN Office for Disaster Preparedness and Risk Reduction for 鈥渋mproved disaster preparedness.鈥� And, at the 2015 Paris Accords, the Philippines signaled its commitment to reversing the trends behind more powerful storms, to reduce its carbon emissions by 70 percent by 2030.
As a developing country, the Philippines would have received international assistance to meet that goal 鈥� at the time of the agreements,聽France offered it 50 million euros in climate aid.
But the prospect of cutting carbon emissions by 70 percent struck the Duterte administration, which, despite its emphasis on climate change, also sees coal as an important cheap power source, as too drastic.
But after receiving assurances that the target could be revised, the president warmed to the treaty. 鈥淲hen it was clarified that the 70% can be changed, that was also the big 鈥� it allowed them, it allowed him to finally say 鈥榶es鈥� last year,鈥� Ms. Victorio told The Rappler.
It鈥檚 too soon to tell what new reductions target, if any, the administration would seek, and if it would still prove significant to the fight against climate change.
But the country鈥檚 science secretary, Fortunato dela Pe帽a, sees the 70 percent target as achievable.
鈥淲hatever difficulties we may encounter,鈥澛�, 鈥渨e are bound to extend our support to that so I think it is doable.鈥�
This report contains material from Reuters.
