by Patricia B. Mirasol, Producer
Speakers at the Race to Zero in the Philippines press briefing by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines. | Patricia B. Mirasol
Solid waste management is one of the challenges to sustainability that has repeatedly surfaced among discussions, according to Florian Gottein, executive director of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP).
“One of our members in the consumer industry shared that…the real difficulty lies in scope 3 emissions [or the greenhouse gases generated by business travel, employee commuting, and waste as part of company operations], particularly in managing waste generated by their distributors and consumers,” he said at a September 17 press briefing organized by the ECCP.
“Improper solid waste management poses serious risks to public health and biodiversity…the burning of waste, [moreover,] emits greenhouse gases that further accelerate climate change,” he added.
ECCP has an upcoming, community level project called The Race to Zero Waste: A Call for Collective Action for Sustainable Waste Management. It will build on RA 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, and will continue to support and advocate for its effective implementation.
The power of consumption is the best way to dictate the future of the planet, according to Dr. Albert P. Dela Cruz, Sr., commissioner of the Climate Change Commission.
The Philippines’ losses amount to over P66 billion a year due to climate change, he said at the same event.
“The solution is the ecosystem. It’s a whole-of-humanity approach,” he said. “We won’t have total equilibrium if companies A, B, and C are zero carb, but companies D and E are not.”
During the press briefing, ECCP also announced its appointment as an official accelerator in the Philippines for Race to Zero. The worldwide campaign rallies over 14,500 non-state actors to act in halving global emissions by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050.
Among the campaign’s aims is the raising of funds to support activities in line with the Race to Zero roadmap, including data mapping, impact measurement, and community initiatives. ECCP will align with Race to Zero’s 5Ps – Pledge, Plan, Proceed, Publish, and Persuade – to ensure that initiatives encourage stakeholders to meet these criteria. Its role as accelerator involves supporting businesses in setting and achieving their net zero business, as well as fostering innovation that drives sustainable solutions.
“As the only accelerator in the Philippines, ECCP is ready to take the lead in advocating for and coordinating meaningful climate action across the region,” Mr. Gottein told the briefing attendees.
“With over 830 diverse members, including small and medium-sized enterprises as well as multinational corporations, [the chamber] plays a pivotal role in bridging sustainable growth between Europe and the Philippines,” he said.
The Philippines is among the most vulnerable countries to climate-related weather events.
A September 18 report by Climate Central, a non-advocacy, non-profit science and news organization, showed that nearly all the Philippine, Singapore, and Vietnam populations were exposed to temperatures that represent a potential risk to human health for at least a week, which were made thrice as likely because of climate change.
Southeast Asia was also the region with the most people exposed to climate change-influenced temperatures for at least 60 days in June, July, and August.