MANILA (LiCAS News): Church and pro-environmental groups launched a campaign on October 18 urging the Philippine government to ban new mines and pursue mineral-efficient energy transition pathways.
Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos, vice-president of Caritas Philippines, renewed the call for a nationwide moratorium on mining, recalling the tragic landslides in a Mindanao mining town earlier this year.
“Caritas Philippines [has] called for a national moratorium on mining. We reiterate this demand. We believe in a full renewable energy transition for the Philippines. We also believe, as is backed by science, that it needs not come at the expense of people and ecological justice,” he said.
The coalition of environmental groups, energy transition advocates, and mining community members raised concerns over the increased mining activities allegedly backed by authorities and industry.
Joshua Lopez, an engineer and senior policy analyst of the Centre for Energy, Ecology, and Development, highlighted that the Philippines has enough renewable energy potential to achieve a 100 per cent transition aligned with the 1.5C climate goal.
“Instead of promoting more extraction that would bring destruction to our remaining watersheds, vulnerable communities, and overall climate resilience, the Philippine government must advance a mineral-efficient, regenerative energy transition. A ban on new mines should be the order of the day,” Lopez said.
