THERE is a singularity apparent among environmental advocates and activists when the issue of blue carbon ecosystems is taken up, since positive results of reducing carbon dioxide emissions and trapping carbon for quite a long time in oceans, seas and shorelines through robust blue carbon growth are easily observable.
For the uninitiated, blue carbon ecosystems are habitats that include mangrove forests, seagrass meadows and tidal marshes. Experts say the conservation of these ecosystems is paramount to preserving biodiversity, maintaining ecological balance, and ensuring sustainable use of marine resources. In an archipelagic country like the Philippines, wide swathes of mangrove forests need to be conserved and expanded to stabilize the coastline, reduce soil erosion, provide shelter and breeding space for fish and other marine life, and give protection to coastal communities against storm surges, strong currents, waves and tides.
Blue carbon ecosystems, therefore, are maximally important in ensuring the livelihood of thousands of Filipino fishermen and communities who make their living from the sea.
The Philippines and the World Economic Forum (WEF) have signed two climate agreements on the sidelines of the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) in Dubai. Environment Secretary Ma. Antonio Yulo-Loyzaga signed on behalf of the Philippine government with WEF Center for Nature and Climate managing director Neo Gim Huay.
‘… we do not need accords with such rich talking clubs like the WEF whose members all travel to Davos with their fuel-guzzling personal jets, to teach us how to plant mangroves and fight plastic pollution, for which we have specific laws.’
Gim Huay welcomed the signing of the two accords, first because these promote environmental protection and second, both the Philippine government and the WEF are passionate in pushing initiatives to protect and restore the blue carbon ecosystem and address plastic pollution.
After the signing, the Philippines and the WEF will start sharing best practices with communities, civil societies and the corporate sector to translate the agreements “into practical progress,” according to Gim Huay.
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said the country is “leading in the nature-based environmental solutions to climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. It is also one of the leaders in blue carbon and plastics pollution solution.”
We beg to disagree, PCO. We have a law, the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act on the use and management of plastics, but our own Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is remiss in implementing it.
The EPR Act mandates large enterprises that generate plastic packaging to establish programs for comprehensive management of plastic waste throughout its lifecycle. The law emphasizes on waste reduction, recovery and diversion as well as the use of methods like reduction of non-environmentally friendly packaging and prevention of plastic waste from leaking into the environment.
The law obliges companies with total assets exceeding P100 million to have their EPR programs registered with the DENR, on pain of sanctions and fines if they fail to do so. According to the Department of Trade and Industry, there are about 4,000 large enterprises that are required to register their EPR programs, but so far, there have been only 745 EPR registrations.
By the end of the year, the EPR law also requires obliged enterprises to demonstrate the recovery and diversion of 20 percent of their 2022 plastic packaging footprint. The target will then progressively increase each year, with the goal of recovering at least 80 percent of the plastic waste generated by the industry by 2028.
Secretary Loyzaga, who has a penchant for signing environmental agreements with foreign entities abroad instead of taking action on local ecological problems, should be reminded that we do not need accords with such rich talking clubs like the WEF whose members all travel to Davos with their fuel-guzzling personal jets, to teach us how to plant mangroves and fight plastic pollution, for which we have specific laws.
