Philippines hails Paris Agreement on climate change

by Shaira Panela and Anna Valmero

PARIS, France – The United Nations climate change conference today came up with an ambitious agreement that proposes limiting global warming to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius and committing and committing financial support by 2020 to help developing countries cope with the devastating impacts of climate change.

Nearly 200 countries gathered in the French capital to hammer out a global deal on how to curb greenhouse gas emissions and address climate impacts.

Climate Change Commission Secretary Emmanuel de Guzman, also head of the Philippine delegation to the climate talks, said in a press briefing to Filipino journalists that they are satisfied with the content of the accord.

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“We are very pleased that this agreement is acceptable to all. Now we have a universal agreement, we have found a common ground where we could work on and move forward as one family of nations with greater ambition and resolve to really combat effectively climate change,” de Guzman said.

De Guzman said that the inclusion of the ambition or the reference to the 1.5-degrees C limit, the inclusion of human rights, the acknowledgment of ecosystems integrity in the final text are among the main goals of the Philippine government.

“It means that we’re given a chance to survive and to thrive,” he said.

De Guzman also said that they intend to report to President Benigno Aquino III and to the legislature the highlights of what has transpired at the Paris climate talks.

“We will also have a special meeting of all the agencies concerned. We will have a review of the national climate action plans or the Intended nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), we will continue the dialog on how we can actually achieve these goals that we have sent in the plan,” he said.