Villanueva: PH must not abandon vow to cut emissions

While he said he respects  President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement that he will not honor the historic Paris Agreement on climate change, Senator Joel Villanueva said the  country should not “completely abandon our commitment to reduce our carbon emission.”

The neophyte senator was reacting to Duterte’s earlier statement that the international treaty stymies the progress of developing countries by requiring them to cut carbon emissions.

Villanueva said he recognized the country’s need to industrialize “but development and environmental protection are not mutually exclusive.”

“We should pursue green development,” he said.

READ: Green groups OK Duterte stand on Paris pact but . . .

The senator cited his experience in supporting the development of green technology in the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), which he chaired in the past five years.

“Based on my experience, there are potential green technologies that can support our development,” Villanueva said.

He said the green skills hub called the TESDA Green Technology Center (GTC) now caters to various trainees, clients and stakeholders in different fields and areas of technical vocational education and training like photovoltaic systems, hydroponics, vertical gardening, landscaping, inverter technology and e-trike servicing, among others.

The hub, he said, provides training and research on green technologies, brings research products to communities through extension service, and promotes green products entrepreneurship.

Aside from supporting the reduction of carbon emission and pushing for green development, Villanueva said the country should also set realistic goals in reducing carbon emission.

“We should also review the implementation of environmental laws like the Clean Air Act to know their effectiveness in meeting our carbon emission targets,” he said. CDG/rga

READ: Duterte says ‘No’ to historic climate change pact