The Philippines aims to work with UAE to reduce its Carbon Footprint

The Philippines and UAE have announced that they will be collaborating on several green energy projects in line with the government’s renewed policy to mitigate the impact of climate change.

Carlos Dominguez III, the Philippines’ finance secretary, stated that the country aims to push the UAE’s plans to reverse the damages of climate change.

“We welcome the UAE’s plan of deploying and using clean energy solutions as one of the main pillars of its model of addressing the challenge of climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Dominguez said.

According to Dominguez, the Philippines will embark on a mission to minimize its dependence on coal-based energy. Last 2020, Pres. Rodrigo Duterte issued a moratorium against proposals to establish new coal-based power plants on the archipelago.

Furthermore, the country registered with the Asian Development Bank’s energy transition mechanism, where coal plants will be replaced with more alternative energy solutions.

The program will thus urge the Philippines and Indonesia to decommission over half of their coal facilities within the next decade.

“We look forward to working with the United Arab Emirates in conceptualizing and implementing innovative programs to increase energy efficiency,” Dominguez said.

Between 2010 and 2020 the Philippines suffered over P500 billion in economic damages due to weather extremities. During this time, the country lost about P48.9 billion yearly to natural and man-made risks caused by climate change.

In its worst years, the country lost up to 0.5% of its economy to natural disasters which ruined crops, infrastructure, and properties. However, despite these losses, the country continues to contribute up to 0.3% of the earth’s greenhouse gas emissions.

To counteract this contribution, the government has committed to slash its greenhouse gas emissions by 75% until 2030 by decreasing the share of coal in the national energy mix.

“Reversing the trend toward global warming will require the work of generations. It will be a hard and interminable work. We have to put in that work to save our planet,” Dominguez said.

Source: Philstar