Legarda Cites PHL-US Cooperation on Climate Security

Senator Loren Legarda today underscored the strengthened cooperation on climate resilience that was pronounced by both leaders of the Philippines and the United States and expressed optimism that such partnership will result in safer communities and greater climate security partnerships among nations.

Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Climate Change, said that the declared cooperation between the two nations sends a strong message to other countries about the urgency of addressing climate risks, stressing that both the US and the Philippines are already experiencing the devastating effects of climate change.

The Senator noted that during the recent state visit of US President Barack Obama, the American leader declared: “We’ve also committed to work together to address the devastating effects of climate change and to make Philippine communities less vulnerable to extreme storms like Yolanda.”

On the other hand, President Benigno Aquino III said: “We discussed how our partnership can be enhanced through building climate resilient communities.  These kind of strong communities are important not only in withstanding disasters, but also in fostering inclusive growth across the entire country.”

Legarda said, “We cannot deny the fact that our country is already affected by climate change. We are experiencing hotter temperatures and stronger storms, and we are expecting the El Niño phenomenon by June. But not only us, even the US, a powerful nation, is not able to escape the effects of the Earth’s rising temperature. A recent study revealed that the US is already widely affected by climate change.”

During President Obama’s visit to the Philippines, he inspected an electric jeep, the City Optimized Managed Electric Transport or COMET, which is a joint venture of Philippine and American developers. The zero-emission e-jeep is envisioned to replace the traditional jeep—an effort that would decrease carbon emissions and mitigate climate change.

“We look forward to more of such partnerships to cut down on pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, reduce fossil fuel consumption and promote the use of renewable energy. We also hope that this PHL-US cooperation would encourage other nations, especially industrialized ones, to assist developing nations that are most vulnerable to the effects of environmental degradation and climate change,” Legarda concluded.