MANILA, Philippines — Filipino climate advocates have had enough of empty promises as global warming briefly hit 1.5°Celsius in 2024, warning that this escalates the risk of disasters for vulnerable countries like the Philippines.
Around 5,000 climate advocates in the country urged world leaders at the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) on Friday, November 15, to take bolder steps in preventing global temperatures from exceeding the critical 1.5°C threshold.
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They pointed to the rising frequency of extreme weather events, with successive torrential storms battering the Philippines and record-high temperatures causing sweltering heat.
“From the devastation of 'Yolanda' to 'Odette' and now 'Kristine', the country is an alarming reminder for developed countries to adhere to their historical responsibility and provide higher climate finance,” Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) National Coordinator Ian Rivera said.
What about 1.5°C? Nearly 200 countries signed the Paris Agreement in 2015, committing to limit global warming to no more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. This is because surpassing this threshold could trigger irreversible impacts of climate change.
However, the World Meteorological Organization reported that this limit was temporarily breached. The average surface air temperature from January to September 2024 was 1.54°C above baseline temperatures.
What is COP29? With COP29's focus on securing robust climate financing, Rivera emphasized that the Philippines plays a “crucial role” in holding major contributors to global warming accountable.
COP29, held in Baku, Azerbaijan, is conducting two-week marathon sessions to determine how to scale up climate financing and strengthen global commitments to transition away from fossil fuels.
This is urgent, as PMCJ said that the extreme weather events happening globally are “not a natural occurrence,” but a direct result of unchecked fossil fuel consumption and human-induced disasters tied to global warming.
Reason to declare a climate emergency
The country has seen oil and coal spills in 2024 amid more frequent visits of storms and typhoons. In Masinloc, Zambales, a barge carrying 11,000 metric tons of coal ran aground during Severe Tropical Storm Kristine (international name: Trami) in October.
“The recent coal spill in Masinloc is just one of the many incidents that Zambales communities experience with the coal-fired power plant in their area,” PMCJ Luzon coordinator Erwin Puhawan said.
Meanwhile, residents of Toledo City, Cebu, have raised concerns that housing eight coal-fired power plants threatens the health and livelihoods of locals. The coal plants are owned by AboitizPower and Therma Visayas Inc.
PMCJ Visayas coordinator Estela Patalingug said a petition has been submitted to the companies behind the plants, demanding health assessments in compliance with the law.
Local governments at work. In early 2024, PMCJ initiated discussions with the municipal government of Villanueva in Misamis Oriental about a 100% transition to renewable energy.
The group recalled that in November, the local government also discussed the status of the two coal-fired power plants in the area. Meanwhile, in September, Albay secured P84 billion in pledges for its 1,250-megawatt renewable energy project.
Even the Catholic Church of the Philippines, of over 100 dioceses, has petitioned for the declaration of a climate emergency.
Rivera said that while local governments take “decisive actions,” the national government lacks stricter efforts to recognize the climate emergency.
“How will the national government match this urgency and take bold, transformative action to address the climate crisis? It is to declare a national climate emergency now,” he said.
Demand to scale up climate finance
It can be recalled that, for the first time, nations signed an agreement at COP28 to gradually phase out reliance on fossil fuel for energy and shift towards renewable sources.
Despite this promise, environmental groups said fossil fuel expansion continues in Southeast Asia and is fueled by financial support from the Global North, Japan, and the United States, undermining the region's progress in advancing renewable energy.
RELATED: Unkept promise: Fossil fuel financing persists despite global pledge for energy transition
How much is needed? Philippine-based think tank Center for Energy, Ecology and Development (CEED), present at the climate summit, said that groups are calling for at least 1 trillion USD annually to support climate adaptation efforts in vulnerable countries, along with 300 billion USD to fund disaster mitigation responses.
There are also calls for a higher target of 5 trillion USD to cover the climate debt owed by the Global North to the South.
Lidy Nacpil, coordinator of the Asian Peoples' Movement on Debt and Development, stated that most payments were loans, not grants, “further exacerbating debt distress in developing countries.”
“We demand higher finance ambition from public financial institutions on a global scale, as we consequently call for the national government to declare a climate emergency,” she added.
For Rivera, now is the critical moment for world leaders to uphold their commitments, take decisive action and address the escalating impacts of climate change.
“What we want is for the Philippines and the world leaders to deliver obligations needed by the people and the planet,” he added.