Climate leadership requires Phl-grounded strategy, says ex-solon

A former lawmaker has urged the Philippines to confront the climate crisis with practical strategies focused on national benefit and survival rather than moral rhetoric, speaking over the weekend at the National Summit on Climate and Disaster Emergency.

Former Albay Congressman Joey Salceda, who chairs the Institute for Risk and Strategic Studies Inc., argued that because the Philippines' volume of emissions is negligible, its climate action must prioritize measures that directly benefit Filipino families.

The country, which is highly vulnerable to climate change, "must act not out of illusion but out of necessity, strategy and survival," Salceda said.

"Moral arguments alone will not move the world’s largest emitters, and costly self-funded mitigation efforts should not burden Filipino families unless they bring about concrete gains or are backed by climate finance," he added.

Salceda, who previously served as the first Asian co-chair of the United Nations Green Climate Fund, explained that global emissions are ultimately determined by the domestic policies of a few major economies.

He suggested that instead of focusing on symbolic gestures, the Philippines should become a leader in areas where it can make a real global contribution.

He identified five strategic fields for the country to build world-class capability: typhoon engineering and resilient infrastructure, island energy systems and micro-grids, the blue economy and coastal resilience, disaster response technology and early warning systems, and climate smart food systems for the tropics.