The leader of the arsonists had threatened not to honor the agreement, believing that it would harm the country`s industrialization efforts. But in November, he relented, citing a “cabinet decision” to back the deal. “There`s nothing to lose by participating in this agreement,” said Yamide Dagnet, a senior associate at the World Resources Institute. As part of the agreement, the Philippines committed to reducing CO2 emissions by 70% by 2030. Philippines populist President Rodrigo Duterte hesitated on the deal, saying last year his government would not comply, calling the country`s reduction in greenhouse gas emissions “nonsense.” The French Embassy in the Philippines congratulates the Philippine government and the Philippine Senate on the ratification of the Paris Agreement on climate change. The Philippines now joins 133 other parties to the Paris Agreement, accounting for more than 80% of global greenhouse gas emissions. During the climate negotiations that led to the Paris Agreement in 2015, the Philippines chaired a group of developing countries called the Climate Vulnerable People Forum, which helped support the call for countries to commit to the long-term goal of keeping future warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius. The Philippines advanced this goal and contributed to the creation of the so-called High Ambition Coalition, a group of more than 100 developed and developing countries, including small island states, the United States and China, which was seen as a diplomatic feat that played a decisive role in strengthening the Paris text. The goal was eventually included in the final agreement. “The Philippines` role was essentially to be an honest broker” between developed and developing countries, said Saño, who became executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia before the Signing of the Paris Agreement. “I think its vulnerability to climate change has allowed it to amplify the voices of many other communities and countries vulnerable to climate change.” When the Paris Agreement was concluded in December 2015, Benigno Aquino III, then President of the Philippines, signed it.
However, Duterte won an overwhelming election in May 2016. One of his first acts in power was to call the deal “stupid” and say he would not comply with it. Although Duterte believes in climate change, he said the deal would hamper the growth of the Philippine economy. Ratification is expected to be well supported in the Senate, which is dominated by Duterte`s allies, and would give Manila access to the Green Climate Fund, which is designed to provide billions of dollars to help poor countries fight global warming. The Philippines` contribution to the positive outcome of COP21, as well as the final ratification of the Paris Agreement by the Philippine government, was the result of the invaluable and collective efforts of the country`s climate champions: Senator Loren Legarda, Chairman of the Senate Oversight Committee on Climate Change, whose advocacy for environmental protection and climate change is known locally and internationally. the Climate Commission, which is committed to its mandate, and the many climate protectors in civil society. We also recognize the commitment of past and present governments to fight climate change. The path to the Paris Climate Change Conference (COP21) began in the Philippines with the Manila Call to Action on Climate Change during President François Hollande`s French state visit to the Philippines in February 2015. This appeal to the international community symbolized our shared commitment to the fight against climate change. The road to Paris continued in Manila through our Climate Week in October 2015, where we were accompanied by policymakers, artists, the Academy, civil society and the general public to support the conclusion of an ambitious, universal and legally binding agreement at COP21.
Local politicians met with Duterte to share their support for the deal, and activists issued public statements urging him to reconsider his decision. During his tenure as Secretary of State, Kerry is also said to have spoken to him about maintaining the deal and its benefits to the country`s economy. Duterte changed his mind and signed a document in late February signaling the country`s ratification of the agreement. The adoption of the resolution by the Senate formalized it. The total number of countries ratified now stands at 136 out of 197 members of the Climate Change Convention. “We are one step away from full ratification and it is my duty to actively promote immediate Senate approval,” Senator Loren Legarda said after receiving the instrument of ratification of the Paris Agreement from the presidential palace. The agreement that entered into force in November.