MANILA, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines has refreshed its climate change commission (CCC) by appointing new technical experts doing "practical and achievable work" on the ground to reverse the "apocalyptic course" of global warming.

Philippine Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said Wednesday that the new commission's panel of technical experts mirrors the country's paradigm shift in its stepped-up drive to combat climate change.

The strategy now moves from merely delving on theories to implementing on the ground "practical and achievable" applications to help reverse the "apocalyptic course" of global warming, he added.

To mobilize people to help save the planet from the worsening environmental crisis, the CCC will have to implement at the local level "achievable" mitigation and adaptation programs that will help "build the resilience of our communities, reverse the degradation, and protect our vital food sources," Dominguez said in an online briefing Wednesday.

He said the CCC's reconstituted 16-member national panel of technical experts (NTPE) will provide the practical advice urgently needed by the climate change body to effectively implement these programs and help engage and educate local communities in adopting them.

Dominguez, the CCC chairperson-designate, called for the reconstitution of the NPTE following the Philippines' declaration of its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent over the next decade as its nationally determined contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement.

The Philippines submitted its first NDC, with a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent by 2030.

"We will achieve that commitment. To do so, we need to implement achievable programs on the ground. We need to convince our people that climate change is reversible if we all act together and begin reducing our carbon footprint," Dominguez said in the online briefing where he introduced the new NPTE members.

Dominguez said the fight against climate change should no longer be focused on theories, as science has accumulated enough evidence about what is happening and what needs to be done now is "to reverse the apocalyptic course of planetary warming."

Dominguez said the new composition of the NPTE "is more than merely a change of personnel" and, more importantly, "reflects a change of paradigm in our efforts to combat the effects of climate change."

The new set of Filipino experts are trained in science but are also familiar with working with communities, businesses and local government units, and thus excel in building partnerships and linkages, Dominguez said.

"We are ready to get to work. We have no time to lose. We have a planet to save," he added. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)