11 November 2014 – A high-level delegation of senior Philippines legislators and policymakers met with technical experts of the German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) from October 12 to 18 to discuss German and European Union (EU) climate change and renewable energy policy.
Philippine Senators Sergio Osmeña, Loren Legarda, and Gregorio Honasan as well as Philippine Representatives Arlene Bag-Ao, Teddy Brawner Baguilat, Rufus Rodriguez, Francisco Matugas, Agapito Guanlao, and George Arnaiz led the 25 person delegation, which crisscrossed four German Federal States.
The Philippine delegation was able to gain a keen appreciation of how Germany has developed a cohesive legal and policy framework in the last 25 years to address climate change, renewable energy and biodiversity conservation. 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.
The Philippine side, for its part, stressed the importance of pursuing both climate change mitigation and adaptation measures, including leveraging technology to ensure that the disaster prone communities have the necessary information and tools to be prepared for natural hazards. The German Alliance for Development Works has consistently ranked the Philippines as one of the most disaster prone countries in the world.
The BMUB briefed the delegation that its climate change policy was firmly focused in pursuing ambitious mid-term and long-term targets for renewable energy and energy efficiency. Germany has targeted that by 2025, renewable energy sources should account for 40-45 percent of the energy mix and by 2050 this should reach at least 80 percent. Germany is also modernizing its energy supply system and grid infrastructure to ensure that renewable energy can be distributed throughout the country. While the Philippines already has a strong renewable energy mix, predominantly through geothermal and hydroelectric sources, both sides acknowledged the need to jointly pursue more cooperation in rationalizing climate financing to allow for the greater adoption of renewable energy technologies and related infrastructure in the Philippines.
The Philippines and Germany are currently pursuing more than ten programs funded under Germany’s International Climate Initiative (IKI). The programs are pursing innovative strategies such as harnessing indigenous knowledge and practices for natural resource management in the Agusan Marah Wildlife Sanctuary, conservation and improved management of marine protected areas, forest and climate protection in Panay, and the development of a national REDD+ mechanism.
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