18 May 2018 – At the 5th Singapore Dialogue on Sustainable World Resources, Senator Loren Legarda called upon ASEAN Member States (AMS) to take collective action in transitioning to green growth, citing the growing vulnerability of the region to climate change.
In her speech during the 5th Singapore Dialogue on Sustainable World Resources, organized by the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, Senator Legarda cited that in spite of ASEAN Community’s status as a non-emitting region, it remains to be one of the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
She cited the 2018 Global Climate Risk Index of Germanwatch which listed four (4) AMS in the top ten list of most climate change affected countries, namely Myanmar (3rd), The Philippines (5th), Viet Nam (8th) and Thailand (9th).
Legarda also cited that legislators like herself have a role to play in ensuring the mainstreaming of climate change initiatives into a country’s development plan – examples of which are the laws she had authored in the Philippines – the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, Ecological Solid Management Act, Renewable Energy Act, among others. She also shared that under her watch as the Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, she made sure that the Philippines’ three consecutive annual national budgets are “climate budgets.”
“There really is no other recourse for us but to usher in green growth and transform our economy towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient path. We pursue this path not only because we know it is the best way to protect our people and climate but also because we know it will spur economic growth,” she said.
The Senator also made a strong statement towards the end of her speech, by saying that ASEAN should be the voice of the vulnerable as one region.
