Environmental group ends anti-coal protest in Pagbilao

PAGBILAO, Philippines - Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior on Sunday called off its three-day protest at the Pagbilao coal-fired power station assured. The protest aimed to bring to the attention of the Philippine government the devastation caused by climate change and to call for a stop to further construction and expansion of coal power in the country. The group is calling on the government to instead tap the massive potential of clean, safe, renewable energy. This developed as Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri declared that he would seek a moratorium on the expansion of coal power in the Philippines through a resolution. In a media statement, Zubiri expressed his support for the campaign of Greenpeace Southeast the Asia to pressure energy officials to "Quit coal" to mitigate global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions. "I will file a resolution in the Senate seeking a halt in the construction of new coal fired power plants in the country. In tandem will be a strong Renewable Energy Bill that shall allow us to shift towards a low carbon economy, and away from dependence on fossil fuels, particularly coal. Coal carries huge environmental, health and social costs," Zubiri said in a communiqué to Rainbow Warrior. Greenpeace Southeast Asia Executive Director Von Hernandez welcomed Zubiri’s intervention. "We have made our point here. The expansion of the Pagbilao coal plant as well as the proposed construction of new plants should not be allowed to continue. We welcome Senator Zubiri's intervention and call on our decision makers in government to take responsibility and lead us away from this deadly reliance on dirty fossil fuels,” he said. “By continuing on this dirty energy pathway, the government is guilty of condemning Filipinos to an insecure and calamitous future," he added. The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands, has been identified as the nation most affected by climate impacts in 2006 by the non-government organization GermanWatch. Burning coal is the single biggest source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and a major cause of climate change. Coal emits 29 percent more carbon per unit of energy than oil and 80% more than gas. But despite the threat of climate change impacts and a 54 percent overcapacity in electricity production, the government has approved the construction of new coal power plants and expansion of older ones. The Rainbow Warrior is in the Philippines to spearhead the Greenpeace "Quit Coal Tour" in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. The tour aims to promote an energy revolution to stop climate change, which includes phasing out the use of climate-damaging coal and a massive uptake of renewable energy. Greenpeace is an independent, global campaigning organization that acts to change attitudes and behavior, to protect and conserve the environment, and to promote peace. - GMANews.TV