Philippines, 195 countries to adopt Paris accord guidelines

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and 195 other countries are set to adopt the implementation guidelines of the 2015 Paris Agreement during the 24th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 24) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is being held in Katowice, Poland.

The Philippine delegation, headed by Climate Change Commission vice chairperson Emmanuel de Guzman, will reaffirm the country’s leadership on climate action and highlight its initiative on climate justice to help vulnerable communities adapt to climate change during the two-week conference, which opened Monday.

Under the climate pact signed in 2015 in Paris, France, nations across the world committed to keep global warming well below two degrees Celsius and to pursue efforts to limit the rise to 1.5 degrees.  

“In the climate talks, ours is a leadership voice on behalf of the climate vulnerable. The Philippines has succeeded in championing climate justice and other fundamental principles in the talks,” De Guzman said.?

“We continue to enjoin developed countries to improve their mitigation targets, mobilize climate finance and accelerate its flow, as well as the development and transfer of technology,” he said.?

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opened the climate summit in Poland by issuing a dramatic appeal to world leaders Monday to take seriously the threat of global warming and act boldly to avert a catastrophic rise in temperatures before the end of the century.

Guterres named climate change as “the most important issue we face.”

“Even as we witness devastating climate impacts causing havoc across the world, we are still not doing enough, nor moving fast enough, to prevent irreversible and catastrophic climate disruption,” Guterres told representatives from almost 200 countries gathered in Katowice.

The UN chief chided countries, particularly those most responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, for failing to do enough to meet the goals of the Paris climate accord. The 2015 agreement set a goal of keeping global warming well below two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit), ideally 1.5 C (2.7 F) by the end of the century.

Citing a recent scientific report on the dire consequences of letting average global temperatures rise beyond 1.5 degrees, Guterres urged countries to cut their emissions by 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030 and aim for net zero emissions by 2050.

Such a move, which experts say is the only way to achieve the 1.5-degree goal, would require a radical overhaul of the global economy.

“In short, we need a complete transformation of our global energy economy, as well as how we manage land and forest resources,” Guterres said.

He said governments should embrace the opportunities rather than cling to fossil fuels such as coal, which are blamed for a significant share of man-made greenhouse gas emissions.

In order to steer businesses and consumers away from heavily polluting forms of energy, he urged countries to embrace carbon pricing, something few countries have yet to do.

De Guzman said the climate talks are an opportunity for the Philippines to show leadership and momentum on global climate action and to ensure the completion of the implementation guidelines of the landmark Paris Agreement that addressed the priorities, needs and attainment of sustainable development for the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries. 

The 2015 Global Climate Risk index put the Philippines on top of the list of 186 countries most affected by climate change. – With AP