Senate inaction on Renewal Energy Bill not an option, Greenpeace says

Press Release
By GREENPEACE
January 27, 2007

Manila, Philippines  –  Greenpeace on Friday intensified their call on the Senate to fast-track the passage of the Renewable Energy (RE) Bill, in a press conference in Quezon City with other pro-renewable energy groups, contending that renewable energy can–and must–play a leading role in the world’s energy future if we are to secure the planet for the next generation.

The press conference, which included speakers from World Wildlife Fund-Philippines and the Klima Climate Change Center of the Manila Observatory, came at the heels of the launch of Energy [R]evolution: A sustainable World Energy Outlook, a groundbreaking new report produced by the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) and Greenpeace. The report details how renewable energy, combined with the smart use of energy, can deliver half of the world’s energy needs by 2050, and effectively help stop climate change and its disastrous consequences.

“The Senate must realize that the massive uptake of renewable energy is both urgently necessary and technically possible. All that is missing is urgent policy support. The Philippines’ RE Bill would be the first of such policies in our region – if the Bill is enacted before the 13th Congress adjourns. Otherwise, the bill, which took 10 years before it was passed in the Lower House, can face another long wait-time which our country can ill afford," said Greenpeace Climate & Energy campaigner Jasper Inventor.

"We need a renewable energy law with clear targets which would allow Filipinos to benefit from the country's vast wind and solar energy potential. It is just unacceptable that this potential remains mostly untapped, especially given the daunting challenges we face in the areas of energy security and climate change,” he added.

The Philippines, along with other developing nations across the region, have been bearing the brunt of the disastrous consequences of climate change. Last year, the country was battered by three strong typhoons which left entire regions in a state of calamity with the tragic loss of lives and property. Early this week, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) admitted that damage to agriculture from typhoons have adversely affected economic growth in 2006. Meanwhile, climate change impacts are expected to worsen in the coming years, likely to trigger fresh rounds of economic disasters.

The massive uptake of renewable energy is the key to the fight against climate change. At the same time it also addresses other challenges, such as energy security and the increasing volatility of fossil fuel prices, which are crucial to developing countries like the Philippines.

"Inaction is not an option. The RE Bill is a measure to protect the people and the economy. For the sake of a sound environment and economic growth, the Senate must immediately ensure the passage of this bill, and in doing so commit to a truly secure and sustainable energy future," said Inventor.