Accelerating the implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development in the context of the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development

How are LGUs faring in meeting the Planet SDGs? 

To meet its NDC commitments, the Philippines can strengthen the following transformative mechanisms:

• Protection of wetlands
• Undertake more studies on blue carbon initiatives.
• While there are already some protected areas, there are problems with implementation due to factors such as land-use conversion.
• Seek international support and technical assistance for the energy, transport, industrial, and waste sector.
• Lobby for the passage of the National Land Use Act, which will ensure that agricultural lands are not converted into residential/commercial use, thereby increasing agricultural productivity and preventing additional carbon-generating activities such as infrastructure construction and industrial production emissions.
• Encourage the business sector to cut its greenhouse gas emissions (e.g. Zero Carbon Resorts in Palawan).
• Increasing the market adoption of existing environmentally beneficial and carbon-reducing technologies and innovations. (For example, switching to LED lighting from incandescent bulbs).

To accelerate a green and sustainable economic transformation that leaves no one behind, stakeholders shared that the following partnerships can be strengthened/explored:

• Foster partnerships at both the international and national levels.
  • RARE partnered with the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People 30X30 to advance the goal of saving 30% of the Earth's terrestrial and coastal ecosystem by 2030. It also links with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and other international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Locally, RARE partnered with the League of Municipalities of the Philippines and UNDP’s Smartseas Project, DENR, and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
  • Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) partners with local NGOs towards tenured security to end poverty based on the assumption that property is one of the human rights essential for achieving human potential.
• Look for unusual partners. These are individuals or communities who have not been brought into the fold as allies for biodiversity conservation or climate change adaptation and mitigation solutions. These influential forces could come from the youth, IPs, and urban poor communities, among others.
• Foster cross-cutting partnerships (e.g. tapping on organizations whose thrusts may not be biodiversity conservation at the core but could nonetheless provide complementation).

On Challenges

• No measurement on the balance in ecology for tolerable levels of environmental extraction / use #biodiv #M&E/data
• Limited access to available funds due to lack of capacity and technical know-how to prepare proposals #biodiv #Fin
• Need for transformative mechanism: (top bottom approach) and the need to cascade to LGUs, transform policies into business models, and programs that would be readily implemented on the ground #Miti #nppfp

On Opportunities

• For the UN FCCC, there is a gap between Annex 1 parties and Non-Annex 1 parties that can be bridged through better access to climate finance, technology development and capacity building. #biodiv #Fin #GJobs 
• Need to bridge the gap so that those who are on the ground can relate to international commitments. #biodiv
• Prioritizing projects that would directly coordinate with local governments to ensure their compliance to the emission target, conservation plans and other climate actions #Miti
• Promotion of household use of solar energy #Miti

On Solutions

• Science-based and data-driven policy formulation #biodiv #M&E/data #nppfp
• Harmonization of existing policies / framework #biodiv #nppfp
• Protection of ecosystem services through nature-based solutions in response to natural hazards / impacts of climate change. (e.g. planting of trees, avoid cutting trees) #biodiv
• Promote and incentivize green technologies and innovations (e.g. Climate Resilient Agriculture practices, green architecture) #biodiv #AR #SCP #Miti #GJobs #nppfp
• Conduct studies on carbon financing (valuation of carbon sequestration) #biodiv #Fin #M&E/data
• Engagement with the Climate Finance Network (CFN) which is envisioned to be a knowledge management and tech support facility for climate finance innovations in Asia and Pacific. There are 6 workstreams on the initiative which can be engaged #biodiv #Fin
• Invest in technologies on data analytics and GIS to improve our capacity to analyze and project climate trends #biodiv #M&E/data
• Create an Enforcement Bureau in DENR to further strengthen the implementation of environmental laws #biodiv #nppfp
• Formulation of a sustainable finance ecosystem that will support and accelerate the development of a green and sustainable economy #Fin
• Bridging the sustainable financing gap with adequate transparency reporting #Fin #M&E/data
• Legislation on extended consumer responsibility scheme to make plastic producers accountable for the products that they produce #Miti #SCP #nppfp
• Ensure inclusivity of vulnerable sectors (PWDs etc) #Miti #hope
• Maximize and tap additional resources made available through the Mandanas ruling to support mitigation efforts #Miti #Fin
• Conduct of carbon audit (identify sources of GHG emissions) #Miti #M&E/data
• Transfer of technologies to developing countries - not just about the physical transfer of the technology but also the means to reproduce in the recipient country. #SCP
• Ensure bottom-up approach and citizen’s participation for planning, implementation, and monitoring the initiatives dealing with climate change #hope #M&E/data
• Sustain and institutionalize youth engagement in UN processes and programs #hope