Aquino, Hollande launch Manila call to action on climate change

MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino III and visiting French President Francois Hollande on Thursday called on the rest of the world to act on climate change.

Aquino and Hollande launched the Manila Call to Action on Climate Change following their bilateral meeting in Malacañang.

"Our Manila Call to Action on Climate Change represents solidarity in action. We are hopeful that this joint call will help us gain momentum for a truly global initiative to address climate change," Aquino said.

"This statement, thus, is a welcome call to action: No longer can we be paralyzed by debates over the obligations of individual countries; all of us must do everything we can, in the quickest and most impactful way possible," he added.

Aquino said nations can unite to overcome the problem or together reap the consequences of apathy.

Citing the destructive typhoons in recent years such as Yolanda, Aquino lamented that the Philippines has found itself at the forefront of climate change.

Aquino said the Philippines intends to attend and utilize every forum to voice the sentiments of those who are at the receiving end of global climate change.

"We will try to strive a consensus with every entity so that they can contribute the most at the quickest possible time," he said.

Aquino believes that the effort against climate change is being enhanced currently since first world countries are no longer spared by weather patterns changing dramatically.

"We are hopeful that we will be able to (have) a consensus to push a lot of other countries to maximize their contributions in the effort to combat global climate change," Aquino said.

The Palace said earlier that Hollande is expected to seek Aquino's support on the issue of climate change in light of preparations being made for the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties, or COP21, to the United Nations Framework Convention Climate Changein December this year.

French ambassador to Manila Nicolas Hulot said Hollande sees his visit to give a human face to climate change, as the Philippines bears the brunt of dozens of deadly storms such as Typhoon Yolanda.

On Friday, Hollande will visit Guiuan, Samar, one of the areas most devastated by Yolanda in 2013.