A coalition of civil society organizations, the Social Action Center-Diocese of Bacolod, and multi-sectoral groups will stage an action at the Capitol Lagoon for the Global Day of Action on Climate and Human Rights on Saturday, December 9.
The groups push for the 1.5°C climate alignment and 100 percent renewable energy for a sustainable future as world leaders gather for the Climate Change Conference in Dubai. This year’s COP focuses on the Global Stocktake to determine the speed and scale of climate action by signatory countries to the Paris Agreement.
Bianca Montilla, Youth For Climate Hope convenor, emphasized the need for global leaders to divest in the fossil gas industry and promote renewable energy to ameliorate the climate crisis.
“The Filipino youth are among the most sensitive groups affected by the negative effects of climate change globally. It should not be this generation's and the next generation’s responsibility to seek solutions to addressing the ecological threat that we did not immensely contribute to. We call global leaders from the global north, especially G7 countries, to deliver their loss and damage financing as they are historically responsible for this crisis and to align with the 1.5°C climate protection goal,” Montilla said.
Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, one of the coalition members for this action, detailed the devastation of Typhoon Yolanda 10 years ago and how the world at 1.5°C is unimaginable for countries like the Philippines.
“In 2013, Typhoon Yolanda wreaked havoc in our country – by far the strongest, deadliest, and most powerful typhoon to make landfall in history, and the temperature had increased only to 0.8 °C. If business-as-usual permits and the globally agreed climate goal of 1.5°C is surpassed, this would lead to alterations of the global climate system that are irreversible resulting in huge risks to humans and nature”, PMCJ representative Vincent Flores said.
Labor group Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino also fronts this action as workers are one of the most vulnerable sectors in the talks of just energy transition. “Workers are already suffering from unjust labor practices and undignified wages, and are the first to receive the brunt of the climate crisis. Thus, they should not be an afterthought in the fight for climate justice,” BMP Negros secretary-general Patrick Querimit said.
The Philippines is among the most at risk of the climate crisis and yet the country continues to expand its investment in fossil gas industries. San Miguel Corporation (SMC), which previously led the coal expansion, is now the Philippines' largest gas expansionist, with over 14 GW in the pipeline. Konsyumer Negros’ Grid Alila reiterates how fighting for 1.5°C also means halting the country’s fossil fuel dependency.
“Investing in dirty energy such as fossil fuels does not align with the climate target of 1.5°C and therefore contributes to the escalation of climate impacts making the Philippines even more sensitive to it. Promoting 100% renewable energy in the power sector as a decarbonization strategy underscores climate resiliency for a sustainable future for the environment and future generations,” Grid Alila stated.
Recently, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has emphasized the call for “more serious action” against the climate crisis. The Diocese of Bacolod echoes this sentiment by highlighting the importance of coming together to bring out sustainable solutions, and the church’s taking part in the activity’s coalition signifies their support in the fight for 1.5C. (PR)