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The Secretary of FINANZAS, Carlos G. Domínguez III, has joined the calls for the restoration and conservation of forests after the devastation caused by the recent typhoons.
Dominguez, recently appointed by President Duterte as chairman of the Climate Change Commission (CCC), said the Philippines loses billions each year in damage to crops and infrastructure, slowing the country’s overall economic progress.
The country’s finance chief noted that five strong typhoons in the past five weeks wreaked havoc in 12 of the country’s 17 regions, claiming dozens of lives as well as damage to their livelihoods and property.
“Our recent experiences with severe weather events underscore the urgency, as well as the complexity, of our tasks. In the midst of a protracted battle against Covid-19, we face challenges that are symptoms of a long-term climate crisis, ”he said in his pre-recorded message to the CCC when he celebrated the 13th Climate Change Awareness Week.
“An integral part of our disaster risk reduction strategy should be the restoration and conservation of existing forests. It is time to update our agroforestry policies to avoid clearing the mountain slopes to make way for agriculture, ”added Domínguez, former Secretary of Agriculture.
On Thursday, the National Council for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management reported that damage to infrastructure from Typhoon Ulysses has only risen to P6.1 billion, while damage to agriculture now stands at P4 billion.
In the same forum, Domínguez also urged the CCC to “defend more aggressively the protection of the environment” and “promote concrete proposals while generating awareness and public support.”
“I also urge the Commission to help us pursue climate justice from the international community. The Philippines is definitely not one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters in the world, but it is certainly among the most vulnerable to its harmful effects, ”he said.
In addition to this, he said that the Covid-19 crisis can also be used as an opportunity to tailor economic recovery programs to mobilize investments in national renewable energy, sustainable urban planning and climate-smart agriculture.
“Our rule should be simple: projects that are not green and sustainable should not see the light of day,” he said.
He cited the need for the government to ensure the coherence of national and local strategies for adaptation, mitigation, disaster risk reduction and sustainable development, as well as the deployment of financial tools to build resilience from the home to the national levels.
“The Philippines is well positioned to make a difference in this battle against the climate crisis. Let’s work hand in hand to achieve a new low-carbon economy and a greener future for all, ”he said.
On Monday, the Asean Center for Biodiversity said that it is also time to push for the restoration of degraded ecosystems and the conservation of existing ones as part of disaster reduction strategies.
ACB Executive Director Theresa Mundita S. Lim said that natural ecosystems such as the Sierra Mountain Range in the Philippines, which stretches from Cagayan province in the north to Quezon province in the south and is strategically located in the east coast of the Philippines, require protection.
Lim also noted that Sierra Madre can weaken strong climatic disturbances and absorb large amounts of rain.
In his speech at the plenary session of the 37th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations last week, President Duterte also called on other vulnerable countries like the Philippines to demand climate justice from developed nations, which are primarily responsible for nurturing the climate crisis.
He said that developed countries are morally obliged to reduce their carbon emissions to prevent serious climate-related disasters.
