Legarda Urges Gov't to Invest in Low-Carbon,
Disaster-Resilient Development

Senator Loren Legarda today said that the government should boost investments in low-carbon, disaster-resilient development, citing the recent study of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which urged emerging Asian economies to undertake more green projects.

"I am glad that the ADB has urged governments to promote green growth in Asia. I hope that the ADB will be able to match developing country ambitions to shift to low-carbon development with the right scale and mode of financing," said Legarda, the United Nations Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation in Asia and the Pacific.

"We are at present, in a darker place than we could have ever imagined - we are polluting at a rate more rapid than what the scientists had declared as the worst-case scenario," Legarda stressed.

According to the Senator, who also chairs the Senate Committee on Climate Change, the agreement to cut down greenhouse gas emissions reached in the Durban climate talks last year is said to cover less than 15% of global emissions. This could warm the world to the tune of 3.5 degrees Celsius, dangerously way above the 2 degrees acceptable limit.

"Strong actions on climate change may be long overdue but it is not too late for governments, especially of industrialized nations, to pursue a green and disaster-resilient development path," Legarda pointed out.

As a concrete strategy, Legarda said that our government must design and implement a diversification of our energy systems.

"Exploring and developing geothermal and wind power, apart from hydropower, as renewable sources of energy would be a great leap in the country's goal for energy sustainability and green development. The renewable energy map of our country must be produced and linked to the realities across all sectors," she explained.

"We must engage the private sector to invest in clean new technologies, adopt energy efficiency measures and re-engineer corporate social responsibility to reflect the joint values of achieving business sustainability through building disaster-resilient local communities. Micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) must also benefit from government projects promoting green technologies and strengthening the disaster resilience of industries," Legarda added.

"The MSMEs comprise 99% percent of the businesses in the country. It is therefore crucial to increase their capacity to contribute to green and resilient economic progress," Legarda concluded.