P50-M climate center to rise in Clark

MANILA, Philippines – The government has allotted P50 million for the establishment of a climate center in Clark Green City in Pampanga, The STAR learned yesterday.

The climate center will house the South-South Center of Excellence on Climate Information and Services, which will be established in the next five years as part of a five-million-euro grant (around P250 million) from the German government.

Budget documents showed the Climate Change Commission (CCC) would receive a capital outlay funding of P50 million this year for the creation of a center for climate resilience.

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), which is handling the development of Clark Green City, has offered a parcel of land where the center will be built.

The CCC confirmed that the capital outlay and land from BCDA are the country’s counterpart for the multimillion-peso climate resilience project, to be primarily financed by the German federal ministry on the environment through its international climate initiative.

According to the CCC, the five-million-euro funding from the German government will be used to finance the technical services in order to strengthen the climate information and services in the country.

Among the objectives of the project are the assessment of climate data and information, capacity building for government agencies and education institutions, and development of climate information and knowledge products for stakeholders.