NEDA chief underscores need to integrate climate action in dev’t planning

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) chief Arsenio Balisacan has highlighted the importance of integrating policies against climate change in the government’s development plans to ensure that inclusive economic growth will be achieved.

“As the Socioeconomic Planning Secretary, I can honestly say that now more than ever, the integration of climate action into our development plans is of absolute necessity,” Balisacan said in a statement

The NEDA chief emphasized the Philippines’ heightened risk against the adverse effects of climate change.

Balisacan said the country faces an average of eight to nine tropical cyclones yearly.

The resulting damages cripple the Filipino people’s sources of food, shelter, and livelihood, the country’s chief economist said.

For instance, Super Typhoon Karding ravaged areas in Central Luzon in September, and left with at least P304 million-worth of infrastructural damages and P2.99 billion-worth of agricultural damages, based on the situational report from National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).  

Balisacan also highlighted that the Philippines has a running “ecological deficit” due to the prevalence of harmful and unsustainable consumption practices affecting the environment.

“Our ecological footprint, or the impact created by our population on our environment, goes beyond our area’s natural capacity. If we do not get our acts right soon, more communities will be routinely displaced, more economic activities disrupted, and more agricultural systems devastated due to these extreme, climate change-induced weather conditions,” the NEDA chief said.

Balisacan said the upcoming Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028 will lay out the government’s priorities for pursuing a greener economy and more sustainable, affordable, and livable residential areas by 2028.

“Examples of such priority actions will include mechanisms involving carbon pricing and incentivizing local government units to focus on more climate-friendly projects, such as electric vehicles, sustainable tourism, biodiversity protection, and energy efficiency,” he said.

The NEDA chief said the agency also plans to release the Philippine Action Plan for Sustainable Consumption and Production (PAP4SCP) this November 2022.

The plan contains actions enabling the country’s shift towards climate-smart and sustainable practices over the short, medium, and long terms.

Designed toward contributing to climate change mitigation goals, the PAP4SCP intends to expedite the scaling up of renewable energy systems, adopt resource-efficient green technologies, implement sustainable, multi-modal transport, and even institutionalize Natural Capital Accounting to provide further detailed statistics for better management of natural resources, according to the NEDA. — BM, GMA News