Climates activists have expressed their dismay over President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s second State of the Nation Address (SONA) today, July 22, saying that climate justice has been “conspicuously absent” in the chief executive’s report to the nation.
“We know that climate impacts are already devastating agriculture, people’s livelihoods and jobs, education and health. Intense typhoons destroy homes, roads and bridges. And it is costing our economy hundreds of billions of pesos every single year,” said Greenpeace Philippines climate campaigner Jefferson Chua.
“President Marcos has put the Philippines in a good place by securing a seat in and hosting the Loss and Damage Fund Board. The next step is for him to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for the destruction caused by climate impacts,” Chua added.
Earlier, Greenpeace Philippines called on Malacañang to ask Congress to speed up the passage of the Climate Accountability Bill; review and cancel memorandums of understanding (MOUs) from line agencies such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) with companies that perpetuate the climate crisis and who likewise deny their responsibility in the climate crisis; start the process of litigating carbon majors for climate impact damages to the Filipino people; and champion the Climate Damages Tax and other innovative sources of finance to ensure not just adequate funding, but, importantly, payment from corporations, for loss and damage due to their carbon emissions.
Moreover, Greenpeace also wants the Marcos Jr. administration to op all plans for nuclear energy, fossil gas expansion, and other false solutions and enable policy reforms to reshape the economy to enable climate justice and community resilience. (NOEL SALES BARCELONA)
