Philippines' Duterte inks climate change agreement

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, a pact that commits governments to moving away from fossil fuels, government officials said on Wednesday.

Climate Change Commissioner Emmanuel de Guzman said Duterte ratified the historic climate pact on Tuesday and the signed "Instrument of Accession" will be submitted to the Philippine Senate later Wednesday for concurrence.

The "Instrument of Accession' is a document signifying the Philippines' ratification of the climate change pact. Senate concurrence is the final step in the ratification process.

"The Philippine delegation's hard work to lobby the 1.5-degree climate goal during the Paris negotiations has finally paid off. This is a clear articulation of his (Duterte) marching orders of the Climate Change Commission in the succeeding months," De Guzman said.

De Guzman added that the 1.5-degree climate goal as prescribed in the Paris Agreement "is our threshold of chance and hope."

"I believe that our president's resolve for climate action will keep us in the right direction of attaining social justice," De Guzman said.

The pact is the first-ever legally-binding global agreement signed by 194 parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in December.

The Philippines has promised to cut carbon emissions by 70 percent by year 2030, even if the country is not a major emitter.

Duterte, who took office in June last year, was reluctant to sign the Paris pact, saying the agreement is tilted in favor of the industrialized nations.

The pact was signed during the previous administration of President Benigno Aquino. Endit