GERMANY and the Philippines aim to modernize the latter’s jeepney fleet by 2026 to fight the effects of climate change.

In a statement on Monday, the German Embassy in the Philippines said global warming is the most pressing problem the world needs to address.

The catastrophic effects of the climate crisis can be felt extensively in more and more parts of the globe with the Philippines being one of the most vulnerable countries, the embassy said.

“We consider the climate crisis the greatest security challenge of our time,” German Ambassador to the Philippines Anke Reiffenstuel said. “The world cannot afford to wait longer. We need to end the fossil age and rapidly reduce emissions.”

This is why Germany, he said, has “massively upped the pace on the shift to green energy with the aim of being climate neutral by 2045.”

“Globally, Germany is a reliable partner of countries that are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, such as the Philippines,” Reiffenstuel said.

Being a “priority country” of the International Climate Initiative, Germany is implementing over 50 projects in the Philippines costing around P5.2 billion in the areas of climate, environment and biodiversity.

Since 2014, the German development agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) has been implementing projects that aim to transform the public transport system in the country, a key sector for reducing emissions in the Philippines.

“Jeepneys, a part of everyday Filipino life, use diesel to run — a fossil fuel proven to contribute to the production of ground-level ozone,” the embassy said.

“Traffic jams in the city provoke longer idle time for jeepneys and other vehicles that employ fossil fuels,” it added.

A GIZ study in 2016 showed that there were 250,000 jeepneys in the Philippines with 55,000 of them operating in Metro Manila alone. They account for 40 percent of vehicle trips making them the biggest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector.

Together with the Department of Transportation, the GIZ embarked on the Jeepney+ NAMA (Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action) project, which aimed to establish a modern, sustainable and climate-friendly transport system in Philippine cities, the embassy said.

“By 2026, the project strives to modernize the jeepney fleet and reduce the share of dieselpowered vehicles by 22 percent. This means replacing them with electric jeepneys and public transport vehicles that follow the Euro 4 emission standard,” it explained.

The project also helps craft systems that will make public transport more efficient for its users.

Institutional reorganization and planning will also help in fully modernizing the country’s jeepney fleet.

“The aim is to help establish people-oriented cities, empowered by efficient, dignified, and sustainable mobility,” the ambassador said.

“The transport sector — in Germany and in the Philippines — is key when it comes to reducing emissions. Focusing on public transportation benefits especially the lower-income segments of society and has positive and sustainable long-term effects,” Reiffenstuel said.

“In Germany, we have expanded the rail networks and financially incentivized the use of public transportation while the taxes on airfares were increased,” he pointed out.

Germany has also invested in making cycling more attractive and in incentivizing individuals to switch to e-mobility, the ambassador said.

Through another GIZ-powered project called “TRANSfer,” the embassy said similar initiatives are being implemented to also modernize the Philippines’ bus systems.