Legarda urges climate-vulnerable countries to rethink policies

Senator Loren Legarda called for climate-vulnerable nations to overhaul outdated policies and champion a more integrated approach to climate action, policies that protect not just lives and livelihoods but also culture, identity, and history.

“Climate change endangers all that you see and so much more: climate change imperils not only lives and livelihoods; it threatens to erase who we are,” Legarda said during a high-level meeting of Climate Vulnerable Forum and V20 Finance Ministers (CVF-V20) on Monday, July 14.

“It is this understanding that demands we broaden our definition of risk to fully encompass the cultural well-being of our people,” she added.

The four-term senator, a leading voice in global climate policy, stressed that extreme heat alone could cost the Philippines an estimated ₱466 billion annually by 2030, but warned that this figure fails to reflect the devastating loss of invaluable cultural heritage.

Climate change also has forced communities to abandon their ancestral homes, threatens the erosion of cultural identity, and disrupts cherished social structures.

Legarda emphasized prioritizing mitigating climate risks to cultural sites, time-honored traditions, and the wealth of knowledge passed down through generations.

“As legislators, we are more than mere policymakers; we are the stewards of our nation’s future,” asserted the veteran legislator.

“We must ensure that our laws reflect an unwavering commitment to both climate action and cultural preservation.”

The CVF-V20 is a coalition of 74 countries highly vulnerable to a warming planet such as Bangladesh, Ghana, Sri Lanka, Barbados, and the Philippines.

At the heart of the coalition is the members’ Climate Prosperity Plans (CPPs), which serve as national investment strategies that redefine climate action as a catalyst for economic growth and inclusive development through the deployment of renewable energy technologies, risk management tools, and
nature-based solutions that strengthen national economies and adapt effectively to climate impacts.

As founding chair of the V20, the Philippines has also developed a Climate Prosperity Investment Memorandum aimed at aligning climate ambition with economic growth, renewable energy transformation, and sub-national resilience.

In the country, Legarda led the passage of the landmark Climate Change Act, and established the People’s Survival Fund.

“To my esteemed colleagues in the Philippine Congress, I issue a solemn call to action: Let us make the full implementation of our Climate Prosperity Plan our most enduring legacy,” she asserted.

“Let our collective efforts safeguard our precious cultural treasures, empower our resilient communities, and build a sustainable future for all Filipinos.” (30)