Southeast Asia's Clean Energy Transition / Philippines
All Spotlight on Philippines stories. Back to Sea's Clean Energy Transition.
The government announced an increase on the minimum amount of renewable energy supplied to investors and end-users from 1 per cent to 2.5 per cent, in a bid to ramp up the country’s goal to reach 35 per cent clean energy by 2030.
SDG 11. Cities
Amid shifting winds, geothermal maintains shaky dominance in Philippine renewables sector
EB Studio
Solar and wind are cheaper to build, but geothermal is more stable, generating constant power regardless of weather conditions.
SDG 12. Consumption
Philippine leading lender BDO Unibank imposes stricter conditions for coal-related financing
The country’s largest bank pledged that it will reduce its coal exposure by half by 2033, though it qualifies that this does not include short-term working capital “that companies will need to transition out of the coal business”. It says it has not been financing any new capacity since 2019.
SDG 13. Climate
Biodiversity loss slipping from public agenda as extreme weather worries Southeast Asians: survey
Floods, heatwaves and landslides now dominate as their top three concerns, as direct impacts from weather extremities are increasingly felt. The climate outlook survey also reflects hesitancy among Southeast Asians to phase out coal immediately.
SDG 13. Climate
Communications in a climate crisis: why Asian PR firm Vero cut ties with fossil fuel firms
Bangkok-based PR agency Vero says there's no excuse for working for fossil fuel brands — even those pivoting to clean energy. "We're in a crisis. There is no time for a journey," says Vero CEO Brian Griffin.
After 20 years without electricity, more than 50 households in Cebu's poorest district have been provided with solar energy, financed by carbon offsets.
SDG 13. Climate
Asian bankers with ESG job titles under pressure to sell products they ‘don’t fully understand’
The raiding of a European multinational bank over greenwashing allegations could be a 'sign of things to come' for Asian bankers, who could be tripped up by a lack of ESG knowhow, experts say.
SDG 15. Biodiversity
Poor planning of renewables in Asia is hurting biodiversity, say conservationists
Asia is braced for the rapid deployment of renewables, but if poorly planned, the energy transition could put areas of high biodiversity at risk. Bird conservationists have launched a new tool that could help developers avoid killing birds that are unable to see power lines and wind turbines.
Credit Suisse is the sixth major global bank to introduce a policy that rules out funding deep-sea exploration and extraction. Asian banks have yet to form a policy on deep-sea mining, which is estimated to be worth US$150 trillion in gold deposits alone.
One of the hardest industries to decarbonise is deploying a carbon measurement system that could enable a more reliable path to net-zero.
Less than one-third of APAC companies reporting to carbon measurement non-profit CDP have committed to science-based targets. CDP's latest report also finds growth in climate disclosure slower in APAC than the global average.
SDG 13. Climate
‘Misguided’: Asia Pacific energy leaders think emissions are falling at a time of record global warming
Most believe that emissions have dropped since 2005 — when they have grown by 50 per cent, according to a survey conducted at the recently-concluded Asia Pacific Energy Week. The findings reveal "a major gap between perception and reality".
