Article by:
Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
NEW YORK CITY – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday (New York time) warned that climate change is the most serious threat facing humanity, especially for vulnerable nations.
“For the Philippines, the climate crisis is not a future risk, it is for us a present reality. It reshapes our coastlines, our communities, and even the Filipino psyche,” Marcos said during the special plenary session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters here.
Marcos also emphasized the mental health impact on youth, citing a 2022 survey which showed that young Filipinos have the highest vulnerability to climate anxiety.
Standing by the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, Marcos renewed his call on developed and industrialized nations to fulfill their obligations to cut greenhouse gas emissions and provide new, additional financing for climate adaptation and loss and damage.
Marcos emphasized that the Philippines was chosen to host the Board of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, in an effort to address loss and damage associated with the adverse impacts of climate change.
“And as host country of the Board, we commit to ensure the Fund’s governance maintains equitable, transparent, and needs-based allocation of resources,” he said.
Marcos said the Philippines also joined the movement for the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) issuance of an advisory opinion on the obligation of states in respect to climate change.
“And we were gratified by the ICJ confirmation that States have a legal obligation under international law to prevent climate harm,” he said.
The opinion confirms that states have an obligation to protect the environment from greenhouse gas emissions and act with due diligence and cooperation to fulfill this obligation.
Marcos noted that in 2025, the Philippines allocated 18 percent of its national budget to climate-related expenditures, adding that the country established the Climate Change Expenditure Tagging system to track and to align budget priorities with the National Climate Change Action Plan.
Marcos also cited the Philippines’ hosting of the 2024 Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and first International Conference on Nuclear Technology for Controlling Plastic Pollution in 2024 to address climate crisis.
“And as my country confronts its climate vulnerability directly, we extend our hand to other countries. The Philippines welcomes South-South or triangular cooperation, capacity-building arrangements, and the exchange of knowledge and technology,” he said.
“The climate crisis knows no borders. And it is by standing together, uniting in purpose, that we shall survive and overcome.” (PNA)
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