Greenpeace welcomed the Climate Change Commission’s (CCC) recently released Commission Resolution 2016-001, which calls for a “national policy review” of the country’s energy policy in order to reduce the country’s dependence on coal, implement a swift and just transition to renewable energy (RE), and pursue the development to a green economy.
Greenpeace expects that the results of this review of the energy sector may incentivize not only investments in RE, but also lay the groundwork for job growth following the signing into law of the Philippine Green Jobs Act of 2016,[1] giving additional incentives for the creation of green jobs.
Amalie Obusan, Country Director of Greenpeace Philippines, said: “It’s about time that the Philippine government agencies come together to address the escalating climate problem facing Filipinos. Our global demands will only have the proper moral ascendancy if we walk the talk and are also applying our same recommendations at home.”
Greenpeace is looking forward to the Duterte Administration putting this resolution into practice, since incoming President Rodrigo Duterte himself has stated his support for a transition to renewable energy sources for the country in his response to the Green Thumb Coalition’s Presidential Survey during the election campaign: ‘The Duterte Administration agrees with the eventual phase-out of coal power plants and other plants that use harmful fuels and steer the country for more investments in RE’
Greenpeace pointed out that renewable energy sources abound in the Philippines, but that their development has been hampered by bureaucratic and administrative hurdles in policies and business models that favor fossil fuels instead.
“The Philippines is at the forefront of climate impacts. Filipinos lose their lives, livelihood and opportunities year after year as a result of extreme weather events. We know we cannot afford to go on a path of development that is not sustainable and which will negate our economic gains in the long run.
“The government has an upper hand in our fight against climate change at the national and international level. In our struggle for climate justice, we need to ensure a low-carbon energy path, and join the global movement in shifting to a fossil fuel-free future,” Obusan added.
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