EDITORIAL - Commitments

During his campaign for the presidency, Rodrigo Duterte had indicated what he thought of national commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Developing nations, he said, are suffering the brunt of global warming, which was caused in large part by a long period of unregulated carbon emissions by affluent nations as they industrialized.

With their economies now sufficiently advanced, why should the industrialized states demand that lower-income countries leapfrog from carbon-burning fossil fuels to clean energy at the expense of development needs?

In line with this, Duterte said deals for the construction of coal-fired power plants approved by the previous administration would push through, as he stressed that coal remains a most affordable fuel for the nation’s needs. At the same time, he raised international concern after announcing that he did not intend to honor the country’s commitment to abide by the climate change deal approved by the Philippines and 194 other states in Paris last December.

Under the Paris deal, the 195 states agreed to keep global temperatures at just 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and to limit global warming to below 2 degrees. Duterte has said that without financial and technological support from rich nations, working to achieve the climate change goals would limit economic growth in developing countries such as the Philippines.

His position makes sense for someone whose focus is on achieving sustained economic growth to reduce poverty. Climate change, however, also threatens economic growth and therefore efforts to fight poverty, with the poor the most vulnerable to natural catastrophes due to global warming.

Duterte will have to balance his position on the role of advanced economies and the need for the Philippines to do its part in dealing with climate change. After all, he has also said he intends to honor the international treaties and commitments made by his predecessor. This isn’t all about coal, if he feels so strongly about the issue. There are many ways by which developing nations can reduce their carbon footprint, with minimal impact on economic development efforts.