ENVIRONMENT Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga called for a whole-of-society approach to accelerate the decarbonization of industries to achieve the government’s net-zero targets.

She pointed out that the country’s commitments in the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and the Paris Agreement can only be achieved if all stakeholders work together by using nature-based solutions for carbon reduction as the primary strategy in achieving net-zero targets.

Under the NDC, the Philippines pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent by 2030 while committing to helping limit global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius under the Paris Agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

“Every fraction of a degree counts ... we must all work together to achieve what we must envision as our common goal for a safe and sustainable planet,” Yulo-Loyzaga said.

She also emphasized prioritizING THE OPPORTUNITIES IDENTIfiED in the Philippine Development Plan including capacity development on sustainability; environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting; conduct of capacity assessments; developing biodiversity-friendly enterprises and ecotourism sites; investments in forestry; and integration between sustainable land, coastal and marine planning.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) current priorities include the sectors of energy, solid waste, transportation, mining and urban resilience.

Investment and assessment

The DENR is reviewing the environmental processes on all onshore and off-shore solar, wind and power projects to facilitate more capital investments in the renewable energy sector and speed up the country’s global standard competitiveness. It is also conducting an assessment of all waste-to-fuel and waste-toenergy technologies to address the country’s growing solid waste problem and move it toward a circular economy.

The DENR has recently released the implementing rules and regulations for the Extended Producer Responsibility Act of 2022, which requires large companies to establish a mechanism for the proper management of plastic packaging waste. It also focuses on sustainable mobility, particularly in the shipping sector, which involves the transition to alternative sources of fuel and looking at the upskilling and reskilling of professional seafarers to make the Filipino workforce more competitive in a more digital and complex world.

Yulo-Loyzaga said the administration is pushing for responsible mining as an effective economic driver toward sustainable development.

She added that there is a need to stimulate the industry and push it toward a safe and sustainable practice called the mitigation hierarchy, which follows the steps of avoidance, minimization, restoration and offsetting compensation for affected communities.