Climate change commission bares ecotown project

MANILA, Philippines - The Climate Change Commission (CCC) has bared the details of its ecotown project to be implemented in at least 10 municipalities.

Five of the municipalities — Del Carmen, Pilar, San Benito, and San Isidro in the province of Surigao del Norte and San Vicente in Palawan — are covered under the CCC’s partnership with the Seoul-based Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI).

“The Philippines’ version of an ecotown pays more attention to adaptation and the emphasis is on anticipatory planning to prepare for the inevitable effects of climate change. This initiative is the first of its kind at the municipal level that attempts to integrate and mainstream climate change adaptation measures, together with disaster risk reduction in the local development plans, programs and activities to promote green growth,” said Assistant Secretary Joy Goco.

She said the project focuses on adaptation instead of mitigation, such as zero carbon footprints, as in the case of other countries.

The initiative seeks to make communities “ecologically stable” and “economically resilient.”

Yong Sung Kim of GGGI said a package of assistance will be provided to the project sites, including innovative financing (through the climate adaptation support service), social protection and risk sharing (through private-public partnership and national-local government partnership cost sharing) and technical assistance.

“It should be understood that green growth is about economic growth and the environment being recognized as mutually reinforcing, and not merely compatible. We believe that economic growth comes at a cost, but the focus is how to reduce this cost and see opportunities in taking a different path, where economic development is sustainable under controlled environmental degradation and use of natural resources,” Kim said.