CCC pushes science-driven governance

The Climate Change Commission (CCC) joined the global observance of World Science Day for Peace and Development, stressing that scientific research and innovation are essential to the country’s survival amid the accelerating climate crisis.

The commission reaffirmed that science serves as the foundation for the Philippines’ strategic climate policies, including the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) 2023–2050 and the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

Both frameworks draw heavily from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Reports and the Philippine Climate Change Assessment (PhilCCA) reports.

Under the NAP, the government aims to achieve long-term resilience and sustainable economic growth by 2050, while the NDC integrates research and technological innovation into mitigation strategies designed to safeguard infrastructure, ecosystems and local livelihoods.

“Science tells us what must be done. Policy shows us how. But duty ensures it is done,” said CCC vice chairperson and executive director Robert E.A. Borje.

Borje underscored that effective climate governance depends on proactive risk reduction rather than post-disaster recovery efforts.

“To build right at first sight is to make resilience deliberate, not accidental — the discipline of foresight that saves lives, livelihoods, and resources,” Borje said. “The measure of good governance is not how fast we rebuild, but how rarely we need to.”

The CCC urged government agencies, academic institutions, the private sector, and civil society to collaborate in applying scientific research as a practical tool for national protection and policy development.