The Philippines urged fellow Asean member-states to take into consideration the different levels of development in advancing other sustainability initiatives in the region, especially in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, accelerating the energy transition, decarbonizing the land transport sector in the region.
This was expressed by Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual to his fellow Asean economic ministers (AEM) at the 22nd Meeting of the Asean Economic Community Council on May 7 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The AEM welcomed the implementation of the initial phase of the Circular Economy Implementation Plan, which focuses on agriculture, energy, and transportation as high-value sectors relevant in reducing carbon emissions.
On carbon neutrality, Pascual expressed support for the initial development of a regional strategy.
“The deliberation on the definition, objectives, scope of action plan, monitoring and evaluation mechanism, and timeline for the implementation plan must, however, take into consideration the different levels of development among Asean member-states,” Pascual said.
He also urged Asean to prioritize adaptation given high vulnerability of the region to the impacts of climate change. – Irma Isip
