Philippines seeks up to $5M to cut super pollutants

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Juan Miguel “Mitch” Cuna on Friday confirmed the Philippines’ application for a major global accelerator program aimed at curbing super pollutants, while offering to host an international climate leadership board meeting in Manila next year.

Cuna met with Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) Secretariat Head Martina Otto at the United Nations Headquarters on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly.

The meeting provided an avenue for the Philippines to pitch its readiness for the CCAC’s Super Pollutant Country Action Accelerator (SPCAA) program for its 2027 cohort.

The initiative offers $2 million to $5 million in grant funding over three years to establish a dedicated national team of experts within the Philippine government and provide technical assistance across priority sectors, including waste, agriculture and transport.

“Reducing super pollutants delivers immediate climate and air quality benefits while strengthening the resilience of our communities and vital sectors such as agriculture,” Cuna said.

The DENR chief said the country’s strategy is built on the National Short-Lived Climate Pollutants Action Plan, which targets 13 priority measures to cut emissions by 2035.

Sectoral strategies include the Rice Sub-Sector Strategy, developed with Clean Air Asia and the International Rice Research Institute, as well as the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation for Methane Mitigation.

Cuna said the Accelerator aligns with the Philippines’ efforts to translate policies on short-lived climate pollutants into concrete implementation and reinforces the country’s commitments under the Global Methane Pledge and its updated Nationally Determined Contribution.

DENR Undersecretary for Finance, Information Systems, Climate Change and Administration Analiza Rebuelta-Teh said the program could help connect technical expertise, national priorities and sectoral action to deliver measurable emissions reductions.

Beyond the funding application, Cuna expressed the Philippines’ interest in hosting a CCAC Board Meeting in March or April 2027.

The Philippines has been a member of the coalition since 2015, previously serving as co-chair and currently sitting as a board member.

Cuna also called for stronger regional coordination on emissions measurement, reporting and verification, urging the CCAC to help harmonize science-based tracking tools across Southeast Asia.

Decisions on the accelerator selection are expected to be announced at COP31.