MANILA (UCAN): The Catholic Church and faith-based groups, grassroots movements, non-government organisations, and multi-sectoral alliances in the Philippines joined global calls for climate justice and reparations as COP28 in Dubai entered the crucial final days of negotiations. Mass actions were held simultaneously in 55 places across the country on December 9.
Organisers of the street mobilizations said they aimed to contribute to the “chorus of global voices” putting pressure on governments and decision-makers at the COP28, which was slated to finish on December 12, but faced last minute hurdles as news agencies reported many countries pushing back against a change in the draft document of decisions, recommendations and resolutions.
A version published on December 9 suggested fossil fuels could “phased out.” Instead a draft published on December 11 said nations should “reduce consumption and production of fossil fuels in a just, orderly and equitable manner,” media reported.
The draft appears to fall short of the standard for success laid out earlier on December 11 by UN secretary-general, António Guterres, the BBC reported.
Pope Francis in Laudate Deum eloquently reminds us that our planet is a gift, a delicate tapestry woven with the threads of biodiversity, beauty, and interconnectedness. Yet, this tapestry is being destroyed before our eyes due to the wounds inflicted by human irresponsibility
Bishop David
However, CNN and other media reported that an unprecedented call for transitioning away from fossil fuels was finally agreed upon on December 13, but using vague language that could allow some countries to take minimal action.
“Pope Francis in Laudate Deum eloquently reminds us that our planet is a gift, a delicate tapestry woven with the threads of biodiversity, beauty, and interconnectedness. Yet, this tapestry is being destroyed before our eyes due to the wounds inflicted by human irresponsibility,” said Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
Bishop David urged Filipinos to join the global call for climate justice. “We are called not merely to witness but to be stewards of change,” he said in a statement.
“Let us heed the call to care for our common home, not as passive observers but as active agents of transformations. May our collective efforts echo the profound message of Laudate Deum, igniting a global movement towards ecological stewardship and justice,” he added.
The Conference of Major Superiors of the Philippines reminded that for decades, the scientific communities have been sounding the alarm.
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
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We are now in a climate emergency. Extreme weather events such as storms, floods, heatwaves, sea level rise, and biodiversity loss have caused untold suffering and losses of human lives and properties
Conference of Major Superiors of the Philippines
“We are now in a climate emergency. Extreme weather events such as storms, floods, heatwaves, sea level rise, and biodiversity loss have caused untold suffering and losses of human lives and properties,” the group said.
In 2022 alone, tropical cyclones in the Philippines caused around 25.03 billion pesos of damage, while environmental defenders and indigenous people fighting against development aggression have been subject to persecution, harassment, red-tagged and sometimes killed, according to the group.
“We continue to long for concrete actions in the face of climate emergency. Time is running out,” they said.
The faith-based groups emphasised that the Philippine government and global leaders must be called to uphold the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement, “lest we face a more catastrophic future where tragedies even worse than Haiyan [Yolanda] are the norm.”
Lidy Nacpil, coordinator of the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development said in a statement to the media that it is civil society’s duty “to escalate pressure to compel governments at the COP28 negotiations to take forward real solutions to the climate crisis.”
Nacpil said, “We are especially demanding the governments of the world’s wealthiest countries—the Global North—who have contributed the most to the problem of climate change to stop evading their responsibilities.”
Ian Rivera, the national coordinator of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, said that the Philippines and all countries “must urgently and rapidly undertake an equitable and just transition away from fossil fuels towards 100 per cent renewable energy systems.”
Aaron Pedrosa, secretary-general of advocacy group Sanlakas, pointed out that the country and the world “don’t need false solutions like fossil gas, ammonia co-firing, and nuclear energy when we can and should transition directly into renewable energy.”
