QUEZON CITY, Philippines (22 July 2022) — Ahead of the Marcos administration’s first State of the Nation Address (SONA), communities affected by the climate crisis from across the country demanded that the new government prioritize coherent plans to address climate change – and push for a genuine shift to renewable energy (RE).
Greenpeace and Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) have convened communities from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao[1] this week in a People’s Energy Conference. Community leaders called on the President: If he is serious about climate action, his words should materialize through prioritizing the shift to RE, and dropping coal, fossil gas, and nuclear plans.[2]
Recent events exposed the unreliability and detrimental costs of the country’s dependence on fossil fuels — rising oil prices, power crises in areas like Mindoro, and the Malampaya shutdown, among others. According to the latest IPCC report, climate impacts are worsening faster than expected.[3] The groups said this is exacerbated by the fossil fuel industry, and with vulnerable communities affected disproportionately.
While the Marcos administration claims to prioritize an RE shift, the government is also looking at developing nuclear and gas, which the groups said will be more costly for consumers and pose a grave threat to Filipino communities and the planet.
Nuclear is the most dangerous energy source in the world – contrary to proponents’ belief that it is the “cleanest,” it can cause irreversible damage to the environment and peoples’ health. It is also very risky to operate, more so in the Philippines which is constantly battered by strong typhoons and other extreme weather events, and is prone to earthquakes. Further, the problem of managing nuclear waste is yet to be resolved even by developed countries.
Meanwhile, the government is proposing fossil gas as a replacement for dirty coal. Science, however, shows that fossil gas is as detrimental to the climate as coal. Fossil gas might produce less carbon than coal, but it emits another greenhouse gas – methane, which is up to 105 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year time horizon.[4]
Amid all this, the groups and communities are also asking the government to uphold democracy and participatory governance, given the threats of harassment and violence they constantly face as they defend the environment. The groups stressed the importance of a vibrant democracy in achieving climate and environmental justice.
The communities and climate advocates are demanding the Marcos administration to:
- End fossil fuel for climate justice; hasten RE to 100% instead of nuclear energy development.
- Strengthen air quality standards to regulate and restrict fossil fuel expansion in PH.
- Uphold the NICC findings; hold fossil fuel companies and carbon majors accountable for their contribution to the climate crisis.
- Protect environment and climate defenders – who have the best interest of our country’s environment in mind – from all forms of harassment and violence.
- Ensure implementation of Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Environmental Management Bureau, Energy Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy and other state actors mandate to protect the environment and address the climate crisis and hold them accountable for existing violations/grievances.
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Note to Editors:
[1] The People’s Energy Conference was organized by Greenpeace Philippines in partnership with the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), and participated by the following community organizations: Save the Beauty of La Union, Koalisyon Isalbar Ti Pintas Ti La Union, Save Sual Movement, Quezon Environment Network, Zone One Tondo Organization, Naga Neighborhood Association Against Coal, Lapu-Lapu Cebu Youth Parish Council, and members of the Sangguniang Kabataan of Brgy. Agapito, Verde Island, Batangas City.
[2] The findings of the NICC report recognize that a just transition to RE and an end to fossil fuel dependence is necessary and urgent if we are to avoid the worst impacts of climate change and protect Filipinos’ lives and rights.
The world’s first Climate Change and Human Rights Inquiry, filed by Filipino typhoon survivors, communities, and civil society organizations at the Commission on Human Rights on September 22, 2015, sought to hold carbon majors accountable for human rights harms arising from the climate crisis. The final report on the Inquiry was released by the CHR on May 6, 2022. The findings are a victory for the millions of Filipinos whose fundamental rights are being impacted by the corporations behind the climate crisis, as they show that there are legal grounds for communities to hold corporations accountable for undermining climate action. Read the full text of the final report here: https://chr.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/CHRP-NICC-Report-2022.pdf
[3] AR6 Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis, UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
[4] Natural Gas & Climate Change: A Bridge to Nowhere | Greenpeace
QUOTES FROM COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND CLIMATE ADVOCATES
Fr. Warren Puno, Quezon Environment Network
“Ang aming lalawigan ay kasalukuyang napaliligiran ng coal plants at exploration projects. Kung magpatuloy ito – at madagdagan pa ng mapanganib na fossil gas at nuclear – ang mga anak at susunod na henerasyon ng Quezon ay wala nang matatamasang magandang kinabukasan. Renewable energy ang tunay na solusyon, at ito lamang ang katanggap-tanggap na hinaharap para sa amin sa Quezon.”
Maria Annaliza Lampitoc, Zone One Tondo Organization
“Ang fossil gas ay mapandayang katawagan lamang ng fossil gas, at Hindi lamang ito nakadaragdag o nakapagpapalala sa kasalukuyang krisis sa klima, bagkus ay direkta pa itong nakakaapekto sa mga residenteng malapit sa mga plantang nito. Kaya naman, panawagan namin sa Navotas LGU ay tunay na protektahan ang mga Navoteño at HUWAG PAHINTULUTAN Ang fossil gas plant na maipatayo sa Mahal naming lungsod. Sama-sama para sa hustisyang pangklima! Save Navotas!”
Crisanto Palabay, Koalisyon Isalbar Ti Pintas La Union
“We fought against the 670MW GLEDC coal plant. We will intensify our struggle to resist their intention to shift into a 1200MW power plant. We’re doing this to protect the beautiful environment for the benefit of the next generation and for a sustainable environment.”
Reydel Panopio, Youth Leader, Isla Verde, Batangas City
“The government must make sure to safeguard our home by not welcoming the establishment of fossil and coal fired power plants, as it directly impacts our environment and climate cycle. Bilang isang youth leader mula sa Isla Verde, Batangas City, nais nating ipaglaban ang ating tahanan upang manatili itong tahanan para sa mga susunod pang mga henerasyon. Especially now, our Verde Island Passage (VIP) – the world’s center of marine biodiversity is at stake because of the rising fossil gas power plants around the area. That is a big threat in the protected aquamarine area and if that happens people will suffer. We have to safeguard VIP and protect our home.”
Khevin Yu, Greenpeace Philippines
“At this crucial junction for climate action, the Philippine government’s mandate must be to protect its citizens against the destruction caused by the climate crisis. This is why the President must recognize that climate justice – and to this end, the renewable energy transition – is a basic human right, and one that has to be urgently provided to the Filipino people. The government must not only expedite the shift to RE, but hold the carbon majors and fossil fuel companies accountable for their contributions to climate change.
Maria Estela P. Vasquez, Visayas community representative
“The Visayas Region has been the center of strong typhoons that impacted the homes, livelihood, and lives of the people. And yet, these companies operating and promoting fossil energy continue to prefer profit over national survival. The plan to put up fossil gas energy Companies in Lapu-Lapu City, Tabango, Leyte, and San Carlos City with a total 1,500MW is a wanton disregard of the right to clean air, healthy environment. Businesses and the government must now focus on transitioning to renewable energy to mitigate the worst impacts of global warming.”
Ian Rivera, PMCJ
“The SONA is the litmus test if the new government is up to the task of leading the country towards economic recovery and away from impacts of the crisis. Our bottom line is that a declaration of climate emergency should be on top of its list. This encompasses a call to phase out coal and fossil fuels and the immediate shift towards 100% RE, demand to the rich polluter countries its obligation under the Paris Agreement and demanding accountability of fossil fuels and carbon majors for their culpability to the climate crisis.”
List of speakers during the press conference (22 July 2022):
- Crisanto Palabay, Koalisyon Isalbar Ti Pintas Ti La Union
- Rafael Sarucam, Federation of Coconut Farmers and Farm Workers Assoc. Inc.
- Rara Ada – PMCJ Youth
- Maria Estela Vazquez – Visayas Community Representative
- Orly Gallano, Samahan ng Mamamayan – Zone 1 Tondo Organization
- Khevin Yu, Climate Justice and Renewable Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace
Media Contact:
Karl Santos, Communications Campaigner
Greenpeace Philippines | [email protected] | +63 9999932058
Maverick Flores, Communications Campaigner
Greenpeace Philippines | [email protected] | +63 9176211552