Loren stresses need for climate change deal in Copenhagen meet

SENATOR LOREN LEGARDA SAID TODAY THAT THE UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN COPENHAGEN FROM DECEMBER 7 TO 18 PRESENTS A UNIQUE HISTORICAL OPPORTUNITY FOR NATIONS TO STEP UP INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE ACTIONS ON THE SINGLE BIGGEST THREAT TO MANKIND – CLIMATE CHANGE.
The chair of the Senate Committee on Climate Change who will heading the Philippine Congress delegation in the conference, Loren pointed out that the Copenhagen meet “may well be the last chance for nations to decisively deal with climate change and its inevitable catastrophic impact.”
“The Philippines is among the most disaster-prone countries in the world and the most vulnerable to cyclones, storms and climactic events,” said Loren, citing as examples the recent catastrophes wrought in the Philippines by typhoons Ondoy, Pepeng and Santi.
“A recently released Mortality Risk Index (MRI) by the UNISDR ranked the Philippines 12th among the 200 countries most at risk from cyclones, floods, earthquakes and landslides,” she said.
Loren said hopes are high that concrete actions will come from the Copenhagen meet after years of resolutions, decisions and negotiations had been passed and undertaken under the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
“All nations must deal with climate change so as to avert credible doomsday prophecies,” said Loren, the United Nations Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster-Risk Reduction for the Asia-Pacific Region.
Loren said that the experience of the Philippines “has eminently shown that an international consensus must be reached so that actions to assist the most vulnerable and the poorest to adapt to the impacts of climate.”
“This entails no less than drastic emission reduction targets by industrialized countries. We will do our best to eloquently express these aspirations before an international audience in Copenhagen.”
Still, due to problems with US legislation, a legally binding agreement coming out of the Copenhagen Conference looks nearly impossible, according to observers. Instead, a political agreement is expected which, it is hoped, will be followed by a legally binding version in 2010.
Political negotiators, ministers and at around 65 heads of states will attend the Copenhagen Conference, along with representatives of UN agencies and other international organizations, including non-governmental groups as observers.
Loren, also the United Nations Regional Champion on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation for Asia-Pacific, has been batting for rich countries to help poor and developing countries grapples with climate change as the former are the primary source of greenhouse gas emissions that are partly to blame for global warming and climate change.
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The senator had proposed for industrialized countries to put up a climate change fund which can be tapped by poor countries in dealing with the effects of climate change, like infrastructure damage and in helping boost the economies of affected communities, such as those affected by floods and landslides in the Philippines.