MANILA, March 15 – The Embassy of France in the Philippines has congratulated the Philippine government and the Philippine Senate for the ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
In a statement, the Embassy of France said with the ratification, the Philippines “now joins 133 other parties to the Paris Agreement, representing more than 80 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.”
“The ratification of the Paris Agreement, which coincides with the 70th year anniversary of French-Philippine diplomatic relations, opens new perspectives for our two countries to develop and implement sustainable solutions towards a greener, more sustainable future for our planet,” it said.
It also recognized the “commitment demonstrated by the previous and current administrations in addressing climate change,” and the “invaluable and collective efforts of the country’s climate champions.”
It particularly lauded Senator Loren Legarda, chairperson of the Senate Oversight Committee on Climate Change, the Climate Change Commission, and the numerous climate advocates in civil society.
“The Philippines’ contribution to the positive outcome of COP21, as well as the eventual ratification of the Paris Agreement by the Philippine government, was the result of (these efforts),” it said.
In the statement, the French embassy also reiterated its “support for the Philippines’ efforts in the areas of renewable energy and the green economy, disaster preparedness and rehabilitation, and ecosystem management.”
It said France was, after all, a “major contributor to the Green Climate Fund, which pledges to raise $100 billion annually by 2022 for the adaptation and mitigation initiatives of developing countries.”
(Embassy of France in the Philippines)
