Greenpeace lauds
Climate agency resolution, calls on Duterte administration to lead PH
to a coal-free future
Press Release
May 30, 2016
QUEZON CITY –
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, 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.