Quezon City mayor among Forbes sustainability leaders

MANILA, Philippines — Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte was the lone Filipino included in the Forbes list of 50 people who are leading global efforts to combat the climate crisis.

The inaugural Forbes Sustainability Leaders recognizes “superstar entrepreneurs, scientists, funders, policymakers and activists who are leading the charge to combat the climate crisis with real, tangible impact.”

It included leaders coming from different industries and disciplines who demonstrate “exceptional ambition, innovation and recent, tangible impact that is both scalable and sustainable.”

In recognizing Belmonte, Forbes noted the different initiatives she pursued after taking office as Quezon City mayor in 2019.

Among them was the declaration of a climate emergency, the first in the Philippines.

“That move allowed Belmonte to allocate 13 percent of the city’s budget (which has since increased) to climate initiatives to reach its stated goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030 and reaching net-zero by 2050,” Forbes said.

“Her initiatives run the gamut: doubling the city’s bike path network to 217 miles, electrifying its free bus service, adding solar panels to public buildings, banning plastic bags and single-use utensils, introducing a ‘trash-to-cashback’ program and creating refilling stations for liquid detergent and other common household products,” it added.

Belmonte, who was hailed as a United Nations Champion of the Earth for Policy Leadership last year, has identified sustainability, environment protection and climate resilience as among her priority programs.

Earlier this year, she joined the sixth UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, where she served as summit rapporteur of cities and regions and represented hundreds of local leaders to discuss their concerns and propositions on issues related to the environment.

Last year, she took part in various global summits on environment, sustainability and climate action, including the UN Climate Ambition Summit convened by UN Secretary General António Guterres at the UN headquarters in New York and the International Forum to End Plastic Pollution in Cities organized by the UN Environment Program in Paris.

Belmonte is also part of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, a global network of mayors taking action against the climate crisis.

Quezon City recently hosted the C40 Cities Southeast Asia Regional Academy Global Workshop. Among those who attended was Freetown, Sierra Leone Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, who was also among the Sustainability Leaders identified by Forbes.

The two mayors were also featured by the business magazine in a separate report, where they spoke about their initiatives and discussed the challenges they face as leaders in the developing world.

Among those recognized by Forbes were Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley; Mayors Anne Hidalgo of Paris, France and Michelle Wu of Boston, United States; US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm; US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan; UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell and various climate scientists, activists, academics and leaders from the government, private sector and civil society organizations.

“This first class of Sustainability Leaders highlights individuals driving real and lasting impact. We honor them for their vision and stewardship of our planet and to showcase the creative, inspiring solutions they are leading from the lab to the boardroom,” said Forbes.