Duterte hits developed countries for inconsistency on climate stand

MANILA, Philippines - President Duterte’s clash with Western countries is not limited to his brutal war on drugs, as he slammed developed nations yesterday for their supposed “stupid inconsistency” on the issue of climate change.

During the inauguration of a coal power plant in Misamis Oriental, Duterte said the European Union had asked him to reduce the Philippines’ carbon emissions because of climate change.

He revealed that he had an argument with the regional bloc over the issue.

“That is where I said the hypocrisy and sometimes the stupid inconsistency of industrial powers,” Duterte said.

“They want to lower (emissions) but they also want us to go lower than usual,” he added.

But according to Duterte, the country needs coal so it can advance its industrialization, but developed nations want to impose limits on its use.

“Now this is the problem: They started very early so upon the dawn of the industrialized era of this planet, they were fast to consume oil, fossil fuel oil, bunker everything. They produced emissions and it took them years to do it,” the President said.

“Now that they have changed the climate because we were then poor and we had nothing, we want to attain the level of their wealth, they told us to limit our emission because we would pollute the air,” Duterte said.

Duterte said EU was mad at him because he did not agree with its stance on reducing emissions.

“I really said ‘You fools. Go away.’ That’s why they are angry,” the President said.