Forum on Strengthening Capacities of Local Government Units on Climate Change Actions: Mitigation 101 with Cities and Provinces Event Objectives

Transcription

1 Forum on Strengthening Capacities of Local Government Units on Climate Change Actions: Mitigation 101 with Cities and Provinces Discovery Suites, Ortigas Center, Pasig City December 14, 2016 Event Objectives The Philippine Climate Change Act and the ensuing National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP) mandates the local government units (LGUs) as frontline institutions to deal with climate change impacts. In such context, local government units are expected to play an important role in pursuing resilience and climate change responsiveness through their local development programmes and projects. Thus, both adaptation and mitigation actions being implemented at the local levels are expected to be consistent with the NCCAP and with the government s mitigation/low emission goals, which are aimed at helping LGUs improve their climate response and actions. LGUs, however, are particularly challenged in pursuing climate-responsive development programs and projects due to their need to: (1) have a better understanding and appreciation of how their local climate change action plans can be made responsive to emerging concerns in NCCAP

2 and mitigation goals, (2) define their roles and clear contributions to attaining the NCCAP and LED goals/ targets, and (3) identify vertical alignment of provincial Low Emission Development Strategies (LEDS) actions with operational targets at city/municipal levels. As the lead policy-making body of the government mandated to coordinate, monitor and evaluate programs and action plans pursuant to the Climate Change Act of 2009 as amended by Republic Act 10174, the Climate Change Commission (CCC) needs to strengthen partnership with national agencies and local government units through the V-LED project. Thus, this forum was organized to increase the capacities of cities, municipalities and provinces in low emission development and pursue climate-resilient planning. Objectives Specifically, the forum sought to: 1. Support CCC in its advocacies for climate change action planning and aligning LGU plans with the country s development plans and global climate goals; 2. Discuss the NDC and Post Paris Agreement focusing on the updates and government roadmap vis-a-vis the LGUs roles, challenges and opportunities in Provincial LEDS; 3. Share LGUs experiences in ghg (greenhouse gas) inventory and co-benefits in capturing methane and how they can effectively exercise their roles in attaining national goals and targets in low emission development. Participants The dialogue event was participated in by City, Provincial and Municipal Planning and Development Coordinators; City, Provincial and Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officers; and secretariat of Leagues of Cities, Provinces and Municipalities Program Proper Welcome Remarks Mr. Cris Rollo of UN-Habitat opened the day s activities by highlighting the importance of learning events such as this in enhancing the capabilities of LGUs for their crucial roles in climate change actions. He underscored the relevance of pursuing their Local Climate Change Action Plans and identifying adaptation and mitigation projects to support the national climate response objectives. Moreover, he expressed appreciation for LGUs that would be sharing their particular insights and experiences in doing greenhouse gas inventory and other climate-related actions for the benefit of others in the sector.

3 Session 1: Global and National Responses and Actions to LED and Urban Resilience Resource Person / Facilitator Topics Discussed Sandee Recabar CCC-CCO Participants Comments / Questions From Paris to Marrakesh: Post Paris Agreement, the NDC Roadmap and the National Climate Change Action Plan Link between temperature increase and GHG emissions Several sectoral issues related to climate change (CC) ( Various concepts in CC GHG sources Global warming potential and calculating CO 2e GHG accounting frameworks Climate negotiations timeline Financial support Paris negotiations in a nutshell Philippine s CC policies National framework strategy on CC NCCAP INDC preparation process in the Phils. Features of the Phil. INDC Priority adaptation measures NDC roadmap Communities for resilience components ( Eco Towns ) Local government budget tagging Good practices in GHG inventory The USAID-B LEADERS, in coordination with CCC has come up with the GHG inventory toolkit with spreadsheet and which makes it easy for LGUs to follow in calculating community and entity emissions. NICCDIES Phil. M and E / MRV System for CC can serve as input to local development planning and other uses please mention Please provide other discussion points about NICCDIES as this is also a major topic. Response

4 Q. There is a need to simplify the process of accessing the People s Survival Fund. In Metro Manila, out of 42 LGUs, only 2 were able to access PSF. LGUs lack the capacity to access the funds. The procedure for accessing the PSF is posted in the CCC website. Although the fund is mostly for adaptation, adaptation aspects can be attached to projects for mitigation. There is currently a low turnout of proposals submitted by LGUs and received by the secretariat. The proposals go to the TWG of the PSF Board composed of NEDA, DILG, and representatives from the academe and private sectors, etc. with the DOF as chairman. Participants Comments / Questions Response

5 CCC conducts orientations for LGUs and recognizes their limited capacity to make project proposals. A module for financial proposal development will be prepared for LGUs to be able to access the many funds that are available. LCCAP s adaptation and mitigation activities should be reflected in their Annual Investment Programs to determine which of them can be funded by the LGUs, or by other sources. Q. In the LCCAP, which outline should be followed DILG s (is it BLGD s)or LGA s? Q. LGUs are mandated to do 36 master action plans. These must be simplified. Q. Integrating can complicate things more as some of the master plans have already been completed. Will take years to integrate all the policies. Added to that are the multitasking functions of LGU personnel. These are valid concerns for LGUs nationwide. Q. LGUs need a unified reporting format. Different agencies require different formats for the same content. CCC is trying to harmonize all of them. This is where V-LED support comes in through Book 3 which contains the guidelines for LGUs. There are only 2 mandated plans. According to the IRR of RA 9729,, the LCCAP need not be a standalone plan. V-LED has partnered with HLURB to mainstream these plans into the Comprehensive Land Use Plan. CCC has partnered with DILG and NEDA as well. The Project is addressing how to harmonize the plans timelines with that at the national level and with the oversight agencies for a concerted effort in bringing these down to the LGU level. Several modules or tools are being developed to guide LGUs with their development plans. ENROs and SUCs have been trained as well. The V-LED Project has gathered director levels of HLURB, NEDA, CCC, etc. for the necessary coordination and vertical and horizontal discussions. The LCCAP Manual shall be enhanced, incorporating the CDRA, etc, into the LLCAP Manual Book 3 which shall be released next year. In these efforts, feedback from the LGUs is important. COA also needs to be included in the discussions.

6 Resource Person Sherwin Randall C. Nahial Makati City Topics Discussed Makati City s Experience in GHG Management Planning, Challenges and Opportunities Initial level GHG inventory = million tons of CO 2 emission (with 2.7 million vehicles traveling daily)- was it just transport? Before challenges, please provide 1-2 paragraphs about this topicwhat it is, how Makati is able to impl the management planning processes, etc. Challenges: 1) Absence of an integrated database to facilitate GHG inventory reports The City purchased a P1.3-M GHG emission tracker system, and formed an ad hoc GHG inventory team 2) Lack of info on stakeholders Conducted GHG inventory training orientation to commerical establishments, employees. A means to educate, at the same time to gather data. Development of IEC materials on LGU initiatives Enactment of the GHG Management Code commercial establishments were required to submit reports prior to business permits Question and Answer: Priscella Mejillano V-LED Project Coordinator Vertical Integration and Learning for Urban Resilience and Climate Change Actions Presented the overarching goal of the V-LED its objectives, outputs, and how it supports in promoting urban resilience planning at national and local levels, please include other impt points in the discussions Program overview and activities for the day was also presented.

7 Marcus Andreas Adelphi Research Germany s Climate Change Initiatives: LED reduction Goal is up to 95% reduction by 2050 Climate change actions are purely voluntary, communities, academe and LGUs report their reduction/contribution to Emphasis on the role of citizens in climate change adaptation and mitigation Financing motivation is the leveraging impact No LCCAP equivalent, they fund concepts for climate change actions Pilot masterplan LGUs Guides, training, awards for good practices No GHG software What they need: To foster interaction and learning between and among sectors vertical and horizontal. please provide the transition from the discussion to the workshop. Participants Reflections on the Discussions What are my roles on the NDC and implementation of the NCCCAP? How can such roles be made relevant to my current work in planning for climate change? Session 2: GHG Inventory Towards LED

8 What do you see as your roles and participation in drafting Book 3 of the LCCAP Manual (in mainstreaming adaptation and mitigation into an enhanced LGA Manual)? Ms. Recabar: Lead time is needed to cascade to their members and discuss with the relevant stakeholders. This needs to be input to the timeline of Book 3. CCC wants to ensure the quality of LCCAP. Ms. Mejillano: The reliability, completeness of implementing the mechanism in Book 3 will be reviewed. There is a need to clarify the role of the provincial level in LCCAP. Participants reflections on the discussions Raquel Naciongayo (Pasig City ENRO): LGUs must be mandatory members of those who will draft the Manual because they will be the implementors in the field. They know what works best on the ground. LGUs must be given a sense of ownership of the Manual. We were not consulted in the drafting of Books 1 and 2. Inah Tolentino (LCP): This can be done by clusters by regions through TWGs simultaneously both online and on the ground. This is to provide everyone with the preliminary info prior to the meeting of the clusters. Ms. Recabar: These concerns can be raised with LGA because they are in charge in terms of institutional arrangements in preparing for Book 3. The Project can look into this. Timing is crucial. Angelica Sanchez (LPP): The presence of LGUs would be required for Book 3 to be relevant to them so that it would not be treated as mere compliance. Ms. Mejillano: It is the role of V-LED to capacitate the major stakeholders and facilitate the process. In outlining the Book 3, LGA will be in consultation with CCC including LGU leagues. There will be a big workshop for the outline before the actual writing.

9 Resource Person Topics Discussed Raquel Naciongayo CENRO, Pasig City and PLLENRO Representative Introduction to Greenhouse Gas Accounting at the Local Level Towards Low Emission Development Current efforts of PLLENRO on low emission development (LED) at the national level and application of GHG inventory at the local levels: Trained LGUs in entity-level inventory. Out of 40 LGUs, 16 have completed their GHG inventory Advocacy for mandatory ENRO position in all LGUs Main roles for LGUs 1) Inform and influence 2) Implement initiatives 3) Regulate Pasig City passed a GHG Management Code and required a decrease in emissions by 2% every year. Phases of GHG Management Process Establishing a GHG inventory team need to assign resources and personnel Selecting the base year Selecting the boundary Data collection: LGU operations Samples of data per every activity Sample emission factors Inventory report outline

10 Workshop: Exercise on GHG Inventory Participants were guided and trained on data sources and how to compute the GHG inventory. Session 3: LGU Initiatives on Low Emission Development, Challenges and Opportunities for Mitigation Actions

11 Ms. Julie Ann Kay A. Aguba Project Development Coordinator Batangas City Batangas City Experience in GHG Management Planning, Challenges and Opportunities Batangas City was cited by CCC as one of the best practices in climate change action what year, recognized by what agency? if we have these info, let s reflect please. The city trained teachers and the youth on climate change awareness The LGU also promoted the use of eco-bikes and mangrove tree-planting Climate change actions are linked with major city initiatives Batangas City s climate change programs and projects Question and answer

12 Engr. Luis Sabater Planning Officer, EPWMD Quezon City Quezon City s Experience in Capturing Methane and Conversion to Electricity: Co-Benefits, Challenges and Opportunities for Project Sustainability An introduction about this project as an illustration of co-benefits. QC Biogas Emission Reduction Project Mention the accident in Payatas that also influenced this project. (he explained this, but pls check the audio) The Payatas dumpsite used to have large emissions of methane, the second most significant GHG with global warming potential 21 times that of carbon. QC coordinated with PNOC-EC in a Memorandum of Understanding for the methane conversion project The project initially brought a 100 kw pilot power plant a source of energy and attracts investors, pls reflect if the discussion mentioned about how many benefitted Their contract with PANGEA, an Italian company was the first waste management CDM project in the Philippines The project ran from 2004 to By 2012 a contract was signed between PANGEA and Meralco to sell the electricity generated Project Benefits: Reduced 110 tons GHG from the atmosphere Generated employment of how much (if provided) Economic benefit is equivalent to 117,000 vehicles lined up in MM Resulted in electricity savings of P2.7-M Received various awards for the successful rehabilitation of the Payatas dumpsite

13 Given how other LGUs did their GHG, what are my opportunities for climate change actions? Participants Reflections on the Discussions If I mainstream GHG in LGU planning, what are the top five challenges? How can I respond to such challenges? 1. Sharing of best practices 2. Clearer and more financially stable LGU 3. potential for access to financin 4. Lack of political will 5. Lack of technical and financial resources 6. Lack of cooperation from the community 7. Difficulty in getting data 1. IEC 2. Structure/human resource 3. Capacity building 4. Law Local Gov t Code 5. Financial resource Issues raised: 1) LGU-centric culture at the local level (Most tasks are assigned to the LGUs) 2) Need for access to data, e.g., PAG-ASA data for vulnerability assessments 3) Need for ladderized training 4) Difficulty in coordinating at the barangay level; Need to give teeth to the law and apply penalties for non-cooperation 5) Need for a single unified template for reporting 6) Extent of assistance at provincial level depends on political alignment

14 Sandee Recabar Synthesis and Way Forward Lessons Learned: The importance of info sharing on basic climate financing Experiences on the ground will determine the kind of policies to be formulated. LGUs are still looking for policies and guidelines to serve as basis in conducting GHG inventory. The project can assist in providing data required by LGUs through the national agencies. The need to sustain efforts through ladderized training. The beauty of the V-LED project is in linking and bridging the gap between the frontliners and the higher governing bodies. PHOTO GALLERY Ms. Recabar and Mr. Andreas fielding questions from participants Left to right: Marcus Andreas of adelphi, Chris Rollo, and Priscella Mejillano of UN-Habitat

15 Participants indicate their selection for the top challenges they face in mainstreaming GHG inventory into their planning process. Raquel Naciongayo of Pasig City shares their experience in GHG management

16 ATTACHMENTS Concept Note Attendance Sheet workshop instructions