Baku, Azerbaijan — The Philippines is currently ranked 7th in this year’s Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), which was recently released by the non-governmental organization Germanwatch, coinciding with ongoing negotiations at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. A ranking of 7th places the country as a high performer in key areas such as energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, climate policy, and renewable energy.
Notably, the Philippines is the only ASEAN country among the top 20 nations in the index, with Vietnam following in 21st place. The index has no top three rankings due to slow progress in the four main categories of evaluation. Germany leads the ranking in 4th place.
Gio Pradipta, Policy Adviser for Germanwatch, highlighted the Philippines’ strong performance despite slipping one position from last year’s 6th place. “The Philippines has consistently had some of the lowest greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Southeast Asia and the world. However, like all countries, more needs to be done,” Pradipta said.
He also praised the Philippines’ Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) Implementation Plan, which was published in 2024 and is pending implementation. However, he noted that one area needing attention is the country’s reliance on renewable energy. “Even though coal use is being reduced, the replacement energy source is natural gas, which is a heavily extractive resource,” Pradipta added. He emphasized that the Philippines could achieve even better results with sufficient funding to implement its climate plans.
“The Philippines is very ambitious with its climate targets, and there is a chance it could become a model for Southeast Asia and Asia at large on how to improve climate policy,” Pradipta concluded.
The CCPI is released annually to track how well countries are progressing toward the goals of the Paris Agreement, the global climate treaty established by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Civil Society Organizations Express Disappointment at COP29 Progress
Despite the Philippines’ positive climate performance, Philippine-based civil society organizations have expressed disappointment with the slow progress at COP29.
“We are not exactly surprised by how slow the negotiations have been, but we are very disappointed by the lack of progress on many critical issues that were supposed to see movement at COP29,” said Aksyon Klima National Coordinator John Leo Algo.
As of Friday morning, there has been no agreed amount for the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), also known as the Climate Finance Goal. This goal outlines the financial contributions from developed countries to support those most affected by the impacts of climate change.
Algo also pointed out that key issues important to the Philippines, particularly the transition to a low-carbon economy, were not discussed adequately. “We are very surprised by the lack of mention of agriculture and food security. There is not enough emphasis on food production, which is especially important for us,” he added.
In response to the lack of progress at COP29, Algo and other organizations will shift their focus to advocating for climate-related policies at the national level, including the carbon market, reducing climate pollution, and securing funding for loss and damage. A meeting for the United Nations Board for Loss and Damage is scheduled for next week, where Sweden and Australia have already pledged millions of dollars in contributions to the fund.
UN Secretary-General Calls for Urgent Action on Climate Finance
In a press briefing on Thursday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized the need for G20 leaders to “instruct ministers and negotiators to secure a new, ambitious climate finance goal at COP29.”
“I sense an appetite for agreement. Areas of convergence are coming into focus. But differences remain. We need a major push to get discussions over the finishing line,” Guterres said. He also called on countries to set aside their differences and focus on the larger objective of creating “a decent world for all humanity.”
“It’s an investment against the devastation that unchecked climate chaos will inflict on us all. It’s a downpayment on a safer, more prosperous future for every nation on Earth,” he added.
The House Committee on Climate Change, which is still in Baku, has not yet commented on the developments at COP29. Likewise, Philippine negotiators have yet to release details on the closed-door discussions that have taken place. I via Annie Perez