CAMARINES Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte has lamented the alleged half-baked commitment made by the Department of Energy (DoE) at the recent 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) on clean energy transition that would still allow the Philippines to issue permits for new coal plants.

Villafuerte said that while the Philippines, through Energy Sec. Alfonso Cusi, supported the Global Coal to Clean Power Transition Statement in Glasgow, Scotland last month, it was allegedly only a partial endorsement as he signed only the part on clean energy transition but did not agree to the clause that calls for a cessation on the issuance of new permits for coal power generation projects.

“The Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM) project of the Philippines with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) that would help us retire coal plants will accelerate our shift to clean energy. Sadly, the government and Secretary Cusi did not see it that way and refused to endorse Clause 3 of the agreement on ending the use of coal for power generation,” Villafuerte said.

Clause 3 of the Statement commits the signatories “to cease the issuance of new permits for new unabated coal-fired power generation projects (New’ coal-fired power generation projects are defined as coal-fired power generation projects that have not yet reached financial close), cease “new construction of unabated coal-fired power generation projects and to end new direct government support for unabated international coal-fired power generation.”

Villafuerte said Cusi allegedly only endorsed Clause 1 of the Statement in which the signatories pledged “to rapidly scale up our deployment of clean power generation and energy efficiency measures in our economies, and to support other countries to do the same, recognizing the leadership shown by countries making ambitious commitments, including through support from the Energy Transition Council.”

The Camarines Sur House leader said Cusi also allegedly only partially endorsed Clauses 2 and 4 “on rapidly scaling up technologies and policies in this decade to achieve a transition away from unabated coal power generation in the 2030s (or as soon as possible thereafter) for major economies and in the 2040s (or as soon as possible thereafter) globally” and on strengthening “domestic and international efforts to provide a robust framework of financial, technical, and social support to affected workers, sectors and communities to make a just and inclusive transition away from unabated coal power.”

In only allegedly partially endorsing the Statement, Villafuerte said Cusi, on behalf of the government, said: “The Philippines would like to reiterate a call for climate justice given the Philippines is not a major emitter of greenhouse gases but bears the worsening impacts of climate change, and to emphasize that energy security is foremost as energy transition is a means to improve the lives of the Philippines’ people and the country’s economic development.

Earlier, Villafuerte said the two-week UN Climate Change Conference earlier hoped to score major breakthroughs in saving the planet by reversing the destructive effects of global warming had turned out to be another meeting full of rhetoric but sorely lacking in action.

COP26, which ran from October 31 to November 12 in Glasgow, Scotland, was highly expected to come up with concrete measures on how developed economies can fulfill the $100-billion financing per year they had pledged to developing countries for climate projects, and clear-cut commitments on how quickly each nation would reduce their carbon footprints over the next decade.

But no such firm actions and commitments resulted from the two weeks of negotiations during the conference.

Villafuerte said he had hoped that COP 26 would be devoid of empty talk and would at last lead to concrete action among countries to fight climate change.

He noted the Philippines is responsible for only 0.3 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions but has been battered each year by more intensive and destructive typhoons and other natural calamities because of the rising global temperatures leading to the worsening climate crisis.

Hence, Villafuerte commended the Philippine delegation led by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III for “punching above its weight class” by announcing at COP26 that the country would move ahead with its climate change and mitigation projects without waiting from the promised funding from wealthy nations that are the world’s heaviest polluters.

“If we do not act fast and with determination, our country will suffer the worst effects of the climate crisis, and our economy could be among its casualties,” Villafuerte said.

Villafuerte said that while there was an agreement reached, the most important aspect of fighting climate change—financing mitigation and adaptation projects—remained unclear.

The final draft released at the end of COP26 did not even include an acknowledgement by rich countries of their liabilities when they are responsible for most of the world’s GHG emissions, he said.

“That’s why the Duterte administration is right in taking action now against climate change rather than waiting for the financing commitments of wealthy economies to materialize,” Villafuerte said.