3 November 2014 - A high-level delegation of senior Philippines legislators and policymakers met with members of the German Parliament (Bundestag) on October 29 to discuss the conservation of the natural resources and the use of renewable energy resources. German Members of Parliament (MP), Ms. Bärbel Höhn of the Alliance ‘90/Green Party and Dr. Tim Ostermann of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), briefed the delegation on how Germany has been able to develop a cohesive legal and policy framework in the last twenty-five years to address climate change, biodiversity conservation, and urban planning.
The German policy mix has prioritized climate change mitigation through the aggressive adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies as well as stringent land use and zoning regulations. In response to the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe in March 2011, Germany expanded its renewable energy targets through the energy transition (Energiewende) program, which helped reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 23.8% in 2013. MP Höhn noted that an overwhelming majority of Germans now support the idea of renewable energy even in the face of higher prices.
However, MP Höhn emphasized that this popular support did not exist in the 1990s. The German political leadership had to display strength and unswerving political commitment to pursue a low carbon trajectory through renewable energy in the face of entrenched interests, popular skepticism and initially high investment costs. The political vision has borne significant fruit as Germany’s early adoption has enabled it to become a global leader in the development of renewable and energy efficiency technologies. Today, renewable energy adoption has extended to small farms and households who have invested in photovoltaic (solar) units.
Senators Sergio Osmeña, Loren Legarda, and Gregorio Honasan as well as Representatives Arlene Bag-Ao, Teddy Brawner, Rufus Rodriguez, Francisco Matugas, Agapito Guanlao, and George Arnaiz led the twenty-five person delegation, which crisscrossed four German Federal States from October 12 to 18. The familiarization study tour is a project under the framework of the “Land Use Policy and Spatial Planning, Sustainable Forest Management, Adaptation to Climate Change and Biodiversity Conservation” program supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). END