[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’Senators urge gov’t to ratify Paris climate deal ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY PRINCE GOLEZ, Manila Reporter
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
MANILA – Senators called upon the government to ratify the landmark Paris climate agreement to solve the serious problem of global warming.
On Friday the climate deal adopted by over 190 nations entered into force ahead of the 22nd Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Morocco.
“Climate change is a global concern because it affects everyone. It is also local because it impacts on the food we eat. Those who grow or catch our food must be able to build back faster and better,” said Sen. Francis Pangilinan.
Pangilinan, chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, said the effects of climate change such as excessive rainfall and too much exposure to extreme heat have resulted to P10-billion crop yield losses in the country.
The increase in sea surface temperatures and levels of carbon dioxide in the ocean, the lawmaker also said, has detrimental effect on marine species.
“Climate change threatens our ability to produce food as well as the income of our food producers, already the poorest in our society. Given these, world action must complement with local initiatives,” he said.
For her part, Sen. Loren Legarda directed the Climate Change Commission (CCC) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to urge other government agencies to submit their respective certificates of concurrence (COCs) to the Paris Agreement.
Legarda said the CCC is gathering all COCs from the 33 member agencies of the Climate Change Commission Advisory Board and the Cabinet Cluster on Climate Change Adaption and Mitigation. So far, only 10 agencies have submitted.
Once complete, the foreign affairs agency will endorse all COCs and the instrument of ratification to President Rodrigo Duterte for approval, then to the Senate for its concurrence.
The senator from Antique again disproved concerns that the climate deal would prevent the country’s industrialization.
She said that under the agreement developed countries pledged to raise $100 billion every year to protect vulnerable countries from climate change.
“The Paris Agreement is very important for the Philippines, being one of the most vulnerable nations to the impacts of climate change. We need to ratify the Agreement so that we can access the Green Climate Fund,” Legarda ended./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
