MANILA: A Philippine-based organisation campaigning against climate change has urged reelected United States President Barack Obama to prioritise the issue of climate change in his second term.
In a media forum in Quezon City recently, the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) called on the US government to address the threat of global warming by leading the world’s industrialised nations in cutting their greenhouse gas emissions.
The group issued the appeal to Obama after US recorded the highest gross cumulative emission among the world’s developed countries.
“We ask President Obama not to fail the people of the world the second time around,” PMCJ convenor Lidy Nacpil said, noting that the US president failed to address the issue of climate change during his first term.
“We want the US not just to cut their fossil fuel usage but also to shift to other sources of energy,” she added.
The group also blamed the US for delaying the progress of the international climate negotiations in fulfilment of obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC).
It added that developing countries such as the Philippines are already experiencing the catastrophic effects of climate change.
The group cited the devastation brought by typhoons Ondoy, Peping, Sendong, and the southwest monsoon recently.
The UNFCC, ratified by more than 195 countries, states that industrialised countries should be responsible for the historical, accumulated and continuing excessive greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, the PMCJ said.
Among those who attended the forum was comedian Arvin “Tado” Jimenez, who recounted the experiences of his fellow Marikina residents during the onslaught of Ondoy.
The Philippine Star
