Keynote Message of Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda | Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) Global Parliamentarians Meeting: “Parliamentarians of Climate Threatened Nations Championing Planetary Prosperity”

Excellencies,

Mr. BAN KI-MOON, Former United Nations Secretary-General;

Fellow CVF Ambassadors, MOHAMED NASHEED and SABER CHOWDHURY;

IPU Secretary-General MARTIN CHUNGONG;

Fellow Parliamentarians;

Partners,

Let me state this plainly. Hard-fought development gains and productivity will continue to be undermined, or worse, reversed, if our 1.5 global warming threshold is breached.

Just from October to this month, the Philippines was battered in succession by typhoons Ofel, Saudel, Molave, super typhoon Goni, tropical storm Atsani, Etau, and typhoon Vamco.

Typhoon Vamco alone has affected 4 million of our people. The damage to our agriculture is estimated at 87 million US dollars, while our infrastructure 181 million US dollars, and it is still rising.

In light of these intensifying impacts of the climate crisis, we are required to do much more.

If countries historically responsible for the climate crisis won’t act with urgency, we in the developing world must act in concert to compel them to take action—to take the lead in deep and drastic cuts in carbon emissions.

There is no greater weapon to wield the righteousness of our cause than raising our own climate ambitions. Enhancing our respective Nationally Determined Contributions is critical in demonstrating our climate leadership.

Vulnerable country parliaments play a crucial role in making this happen. Using our oversight, legislative, and representation functions, we must take a far more active role in helping steer our peoples away from the dire threats of the climate emergency.

Esteemed colleagues,

In the Philippines, addressing climate change has mainly been pursued by employing the political instrument of national power.

We have enacted landmark laws on environment and climate change—including the Climate Change Act, People’s Survival Fund Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Environmental Awareness and Education Act, Renewable Energy Act, Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act, and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act.

These laws have served as our foundation for building climate resilience and have helped us close the gaps in mainstreaming climate change in development planning processes, advancing climate change education, and financing climate change adaptation and mitigation projects.

I am certain we have all been equal to the task before and I am even more sure now we will be equal to the rough tests ahead of us.

Esteemed colleagues,

I am pleased to extend an invitation to you — let us form the CVF Parliamentary League. Let us make our collective voice louder. Such a group will more quickly enable our ability to learn from one another better, so we can all achieve our shared goals sooner. We must organize our efforts regionally, using space available to us. We must influence more, and we must do what we can, because we must, because we can, and because solidarity and hope are what will in the end prevail.

I envision the CVF Parliamentary League to be a dedicated cooperation initiative of parliamentarians that will advance a common legislative agenda for integrating climate change adaptation and mitigation and disaster risk reduction in all facets of sustainable development pursuits.

It will be our platform for exchanging experiences and good practices on climate action, developing a common stand on critical climate legislation issues, and strengthening our cooperation in championing the 1.5 Paris goal.

Through our shared leadership and with far greater urgency, we can hasten the transition of our countries to decarbonized development and ensure a safer, more equitable, and more resilient future for our people. (END)