Corruption a threat to Philippines’ higher climate ambition – groups

MANILA, Philippines – As the Philippine government proposes higher climate targets, groups warn that corruption can threaten the country’s capacity to implement programs needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Philippines is proposing an unconditional target of between 10% to 20% — much higher than the 2.71% stated in the country’s current Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

The new target was presented to civil society groups on Wednesday, December 3, in a high-level plenary session. Even before the annual climate talks in Brazil took place, groups Rappler talked to had already complained about the lack of consultations on the new NDC.

“With a likely higher cost of implementation for the updated NDC to match the higher ambition, there is simply no room for any errors, especially those caused by corruption or inaction,” Aksyon Klima Pilipinas national coordinator John Leo Algo said in a statement Wednesday.

Countries like the Philippines that are party to the Paris Agreement are required to submit NDCs, or pledges on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Back in 2021, the Philippines pledged to reduce carbon emissions by 75% — 2.71% is unconditional and 72.29% is conditional. Parties are supposed to submit to the United Nations their revised targets early 2025.

Raising unconditional targets would mean mobilizing more national resources. Conditional targets, meanwhile, are reliant on the support that the Philippines will get from the international community.

“Any commitment like the NDC is only as good as its implementation,” said Algo.

Despite the Philippines’ delayed timeline in submission, think-tank Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED) said the government has not made use of the time to have a “meaningful” consultation process. CEED was one of the groups present at the consultation arranged by the Philippine government on Wednesday.

CEED is concerned that the 2025 NDC is slated for submission to the Office of the President by December without providing civil society the full draft as well as the analyses behind the new targets.

“Government agencies must be transparent and genuinely inclusive if we are to have an NDC that is truly backed by the people,” said CEED deputy executive director Avril de Torres.

AKP pointed out that the government agencies making the 2025 NDC cannot expect “meaningful feedback” if they are not given enough time to examine the new pledges.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Climate Change Commission lead this process while the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development and the Department of Finance act as oversight agencies.

“In this regard, the government comes up short in ensuring an inclusive, bottom-up approach to this crucial part of finalizing the NDC,” Algo said.

So far, 122 parties have submitted their new NDCs to the United Nations. Parties are supposed to submit a revised NDC every five years, showing a progression in climate ambition. – Rappler.com