Loren hails Senate's passage of Climate Change bill

The Senate yesterday passed on third and final reading the proposed Climate Change Act of 2009 (Senate Bill 2583) authored and sponsored by Senator Loren Legarda.

Loren welcomed the Senate's passage of the bill as a "step in the right direction" in mainstreaming into government's policy formulation and development planning the various measures needed to help address the problem of climate change.

The bill highlights the synergistic action needed in dealing with the climate crisis and in reducing the risk of disasters associated with global climate change.

Under the proposed measures, a Climate Change Commission would be created to oversee the implementation of government policies that would be formulated to mitigate and adapt to the threats posed by climate change.

Climate change is blamed on global warming which, in turn, is partly due to the continuing increase in the global greenhouse gas emission by man. Climate change takes varied forms, including very strong typhoons, out-of-season rains and droughts.

Loren arrives today (June 2) from Bhutan where she spoke as the United Nations Regional Champion for Disaster Risaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation in the Asia and the Pacific.

SB 2583 incorporates the amendments of Loren's committee, as well as the individual amendments of Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Pia Cayetano.

The President heads the Climate Change Commission envisioned in the bill, with the secretaries of various government agencies, the presidents of the leagues of cities, municipalities and barangay and the representatives from the academe, business sector, NGOs and civil society serving as ex-officio members.

The commission has the following tasks:

• Ensure the mainstreaming of climate change and disaster risk reduction into development plans and programs at all levels;

• Coordinate and synchronize climate change programs of national government agencies;

• Formulate a Framework Strategy and Program on Climate Change and exercise policy oversight to ensure that the goals set are attained; and

• Strengthen LGUs to effectively address climate change issues

The commission may also recommend legislation, policies, strategies, programs on and appropriations for climate change adaptation; review and recommend the approval of major development investments in climate-sensitive sectors; create an enabling environment for the design of relevant and appropriate risk-sharing and risk-transfer instruments; create an enabling environment for the promotion of linkages between and encourage broader multi-stakeholder participation in climate change mitigation and adaptation; and formulate strategies on greenhouse gas mitigation.

To aid the Commission in the discharge of its duties, a Climate Change Office shall serve as its secretariat which will be headed by an Executive Director.

The Framework Strategy and Program on Climate Change shall serve as the basis for planning, research and development, extension and monitoring of climate change activities, Loren said.