‘Philippines lacks net zero commitments’

MANILA, Philippines — The country is facing significant challenges in achieving its “net zero” target due to the lack of a national declaration to guide its efforts, according to climate advocate Net Zero Carbon Alliance (NZCA).

“In the Philippines, we don’t have (net zero commitments). We don’t have a declaration about achieving net zero by 2050,” said NZCA executive director Allan Barcena, noting that most Asian neighbors have a country commitment.

While the country has committed to a nationally determined contribution (NDC) to cut carbon emissions by 75 percent, Barcena said it still depends on the availability of funds and technology to support this initiative.

He pointed out that the absence of a country-level push for net zero prompted private companies and non-profit organizations to do it on their own.

“It would have been better if, as a country, you commit, and then everything follows. Other sectors like energy, agriculture, the private sector, private companies and the academe will all follow your commitment,” the NZCA executive said.

Founded by Lopez-led Energy Development Corp. (EDC) in 2021, the NZCA is the largest private sector-backed organization in the Philippines advocating for and advancing progress on net zero.

“We created the alliance so that the private sector, particularly the businesses, will have a collective effort to take that journey even without a country commitment,” explained Barcena, who also serves as AVP and head of corporate support functions at EDC.

The NZCA conducted the Philippines’ first net conference last week, zeroing in on the role of the private sector in promoting broader access to finance and stronger policies to meet the country’s climate targets.

In December 2015, world leaders at the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference signed the historic Paris Agreement, which sets long-term goals to guide all nations in lowering carbon emissions.

In line with the agreement, emissions need to be reduced by 45 percent by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050 to limit global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The UN said, however, that the commitments made by governments to date “fall short of what is required.”