Sunday, September 27, 2020

DU30 urged to declare 'climate emergency'. Inquirer Newsletter September 28, 2020

REMEMBER `ONDOY' Greenpeace members light candles forming the words "climate justice" on a pathway by the relief map of the Philippines at the Luneta Park in Manila to mark the 11th anniversary of Typhoon "Ondoy'' which left a wide swath of devastation in Metro Manila on Sept. 26, 2009. RICHARD REYES

News

Project Ark medical team defends rapid test

The medical team of a private sector effort for mass testing for the new coronavirus on Sunday defended the use of rapid antibody tests, which the medical community said could have been partly responsible for the surge in infections. —STORY BY Tina G. Santos

Regions

Kin of missing Ilonggo seafarers keep hope alive

Fritzie Pilota, 42, has not stopped praying and hoping that her 31-year-old younger brother Jay is alive somewhere and will be reunited with their family. “We feel that he is still alive. He will let us know,” she told the Inquirer on Sunday. —STORY BY Nestor P. Burgos Jr.

Board Talk

Time for that governance talk

To families running their own businesses, here’s something to think about: Do you make decisions and solve problems together? Are your lines of communication always open? According to a group of family business advisors from here and abroad, asking these questions is essential to a family enterprise’s longevity. —STORY BY Annelle Tayao-Juego

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DU30 urged to declare ‘climate emergency’

By Krixia Subingsubing

Environmental group Greenpeace Philippines has urged President Duterte anew to declare a “climate emergency” as a policy instrument to help the Philippines achieve its goals under the Paris Agreement after his call on other countries in the United Nations General Assembly to honor their commitments to fight the climate crisis.

Greenpeace made the appeal after its Southeast Asia umbrella organization released a report last week that none of the eight countries in Southeast Asia were meeting the global targets set to help prevent the planet’s temperature from rising by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius “without significant market and regulatory changes.”

The report evaluated the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Indonesia based on their commitments to energy transition, existence of renewable energy policies, and whether green energy is part of their COVID-19 recovery plan.

The countries are all signatories to the Paris Agreement, which acknowledges the imperative to keep global temperature from rising 1.5 C.

“While some of the countries have stronger frameworks in place currently, each has a long way to go to obtain a ‘passing’ grade in this scorecard,” the report said. “Despite this, each country also has the opportunity to increase ambition to get on a 1.5 degrees pathway, most by 2030.”

In a statement, Greenpeace country director Lea Guerrero urged the President to issue an executive order “to put climate action at the center of all policy decision-making from local to national level.” She said this would ensure the Philippines’ “rapid and just transition to a low-carbon pathway through the phaseout of coal and fossil fuel investments.” —WITH REPORTS FROM INQ

Editorial

Vital, vigilant journalism

The weaponization of social media for the benefit of powerful political interests is why journalism has become even more vital and relevant today. In an age where all sorts of information are at people’s fingertips, the work of journalists has become way more daunting but essential.

Read full story: opinion.inquirer.net