[OPINION] More urgency for the Philippines after Poland climate talks

John Leo C. Algo

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[OPINION] More urgency for the Philippines after Poland climate talks
'The Philippines has actively championed the cause of vulnerable nations in the international arena, but now it needs to proactively lead its citizens toward a social transformation'

 

After two weeks of tense negotiations, the UN climate change talks in Katowice, Poland has finally concluded with an important output: the rulebook for the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Starting in 2020, this document will guide both developed and developing countries in limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

What does this mean for the Philippines, whose primary goal is to secure financial and technical support to enact its adaptation and mitigation strategies?  (READ: Fighting climate change: What is the Paris Agreement?

Guidelines 

One of the major accomplishments was establishing a universal set of rules for transparency. Placing everyone on the same level in reporting progress in climate action is crucial for building trust among countries with different agendas, which in itself is key for successful mitigation and adaptation to climate change.

Standardizing how nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are communicated was also achieved during the talks, including a common timeframe for current national pledges starting from 2031 and being placed in a public registry.

The interval of the common timeframe is important for determining how fast countries will have to increase their ambitions for mitigation and adaptation targets, a requirement for Parties to the Paris accord. For the Philippines – whose initial pledge is to reduce its emissions by 70% by 2030, with support from developed countries – this further increases the urgency to secure additional aid in its transition.     

Loss and damage, a big issue for the Philippine delegation for years, is also recognized within the rulebook. Parties may include it in their inputs into the global stocktake and transparency reports that should be provided every two years. This gives the Philippines and other vulnerable nations an avenue for possible compensation from big emitters of greenhouse gases.   

Despite these steps forward, the current Paris rulebook and the environment of the Katowice negotiations reflect how the mistakes from previous talks continue to prevent the world from fully embracing the road to climate resiliency and sustainable development.

Roadblocks 

It is painfully clear that fossil fuel interests remain a significant roadblock in achieving the necessary progress to keep up with the worsening impacts of climate change. One of the most disappointing events in Katowice occurred when the United States, Russia, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia blocked the approval of the UN report on 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming, citing “scientific and knowledge gaps” in the findings.

The lack of recognition of the science of global warming from these countries is unsurprising, given how influential coal and oil interests are in their governments.

The resulting decision, which would only “welcome” the timely completion of the report and which “invited” nations to use it in future negotiations, undermined its impact on climate policymaking. It is a slap on the face of the scientific community and the rest of the world, especially vulnerable countries such as the Philippines that need support to act against climate change.

Progress on climate finance was also lacking. Current financial commitments by the rich nations remain way below the US$100 billion target by 2020, despite new pledges by European countries in support of adaptation.

In addition, the new Paris rulebook allows these countries to report loans as climate finance instead of just grants. This puts developing nations, which already have lower capacities for both increased resilience and economic development, at a disadvantage. 

These developments also reflect the most disappointing revelation from the Katowice negotiations: the lack of urgency for increased ambition. Although countries are expected to raise their targets under the NDCs by 2020, efforts by countries harboring strong fossil fuel interests have prevented the delegates from making an emphatic declaration for stronger climate action – a political setback with immense potential ramifications.

Most of the negotiators simply do not experience the inequity that transcends national boundaries and the climate injustice that it produces. As hard as they promote equity in reporting greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation and adaptation targets within international treaties, the plight of the low-income families and indigenous communities that are at the frontlines of fossil fuel pollution remain largely ignored in these discussions.     

Moving forward

For the Philippines, the outcomes of the Katowice conference present a difficult global situation that would greatly affect its domestic actions. While the country still has large potential for renewable energy and ecosystems-based adaptation, it will need significant financial and technical assistance from industrialized countries and international financial institutions to implement its climate change action plans.

Any rulebook is better than nothing at this point, but it might not be enough given the current pace of international discussions pertaining to the Paris Agreement.

So what does the country need to do then? This may be a long, arduous process, but not all the steps have to involve foreign assistance if the country plays to its strengths.

Measures such as stronger protection of forests and oceans, promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy at the local level, synchronized long-term planning at the national and local levels, and educating its people on the practice of more environment-friendly habits can help Filipinos become more resilient and sustainable in a rapidly changing world.

More global summits will take place in the coming years as leaders plan how best to tackle climate change. The Philippines has actively championed the cause of vulnerable nations in the international arena, but now it needs to proactively lead its citizens toward a social transformation. – Rappler.com

John Leo is a science policy associate of Climate Reality Project Philippines. He will earn his MS Atmospheric Science degree from the Ateneo de Manila University in December 2018. He is also a citizen journalist.

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