The Philippines will pursue, during the Nov. 26-Dec. 7 18th Conference of the Parties in Qatar this year, its bid for nations’ common but differentiated responsibilities on addressing climate change.
”We’ll continue making such stand,” Climate Change Commission Vice-Chairperson Mary Ann Lucille Sering said Wednesday during a briefing in Metro Manila.
CBDR is a principle embodied in the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development which provides that “in view of the different contributions to global environmental degradation, States have common but differentiated responsibilities.”
Sering believes CBDR is justified, noting the Philippines isn’t a major emitter of greenhouse gases but is among nations most at risk for onslaught of weather extremes and other impacts of climate change.
Experts already reported GHGs trap heat in the atmosphere, causing global warming that drives climate change.
”Although our country isn’t a major emitter of GHGs, we’ll still do our share to help mitigate such gas emissions but our main focus must be adapting to climate change’s impacts,” Sering noted.
Environment chief Ramon Paje earlier aired the same concern, reporting latest available data show total Philippine GHG emission is less than those in other nations.
He noted data indicate the Philippines’ carbon footprint is only about 1.3 tons per capita – lower than those monitored in Hongkong, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Canada, Luxembourg, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and USA.
Carbon footprint is the total set of GHG emissions.
”It’s obvious the Philippines is among the least to blame for climate change but very vulnerable to its consequences,” Paje said.
He said data show the Philippines ranks seventh among 35 countries found to be most vulnerable to climate change.
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