QC Mayor Joy Belmonte Enjoins Everyone in Inclusive Climate Action, Empowers Informal Workers

 

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte has urged all the people to join in the city’s climate action program and the LCCAP (Local Climate Change Action Plan) not only as a way to reshape the city and withstand the impacts of climate change but also to emerge as a city that is ‘stronger, inclusive and more just’ with a truly green, inclusive economy. 

In her welcome address at the 2024 C40 Cities Southeast Asia Regional Academy Global Workshop held today, September 3, 2024, at Novotel in Araneta Center, Cubao, Mayor Belmonte said that within the challenges faced in mitigating the effects of climate change also lies the greatest opportunity for the people to change and reshape the cities.

“Ladies and gentlemen and persons of diverse genders, within the challenges we face lies our greatest opportunity. We have a chance to reshape our cities not only to withstand the impacts of climate change but to emerge stronger, inclusive and more just. We are showing the rest of the world how it can be done and I am optimistic that as we inspire others to walk the same path, we will reach the future of hopes just in time.”, the QC mayor said.

Mayor Belmonte said that climate change has worsened social inequality, greatly affecting women, children, disabled persons, and the marginalized sector who are also the most vulnerable ones.

Because of this, the city took up the challenge “with a bold plan that weave sustainability and environmental stewardship in our overall vision toward inclusivity”, the mayor said.

The mayor also expressed her gratitude to C40 Cities for supporting the city initiatives that that has put climate action at the core of collective life in the city and also encouraged the city to pursue innovations towards renewable energy and efficient waste management.

Mayor Belmonte said she has also expressed her support and unity with other leaders in 2022 during the C40 World Mayor’s Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with the vision to create 50 million good green jobs by the end of the decade.

She said this is a vision that extends beyond climate change action and could help those in the marginalized sector to thrive in the green and just economy.

Further, the mayor said that Quezon City leads the way in creating an inclusive green economy, guided by an enhanced climate action plan for 2021-2050 since it is the only Philippine city with an approved and operational plan of this kind.

The city’s LCCAP (Local Climate Change Action Plan) is the cornerstone of our commitment to sustainable and equitable development, she said.

The mayor stressed that the LCCAP embodies the city’s commitment to its climate strategy that aligns with the Paris Agreement, the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals in a just and equitable transition.

She said that the event being held today (the regional academy) is part of C40 UCAP or Climate Action Implementation Program, a 4-year initiative funded by the UK government. Through the program, C40 Cities are working to bring equity and inclusion to the heart of climate action by engaging frontline and marginalized groups.

‘Climate action is inseparable from social justice’

 As a guiding framework, the LCCAP gives benefits to all residents, especially to informal workers who are more particularly susceptible to climate shocks, the mayor said.

She added that the city’s commitment to green and just economy is in fact a grassroot movement that empowers all residents, especially the marginalized. She cited that in 2022, the city has created over 25,000 in the urban farming sector alone, providing not only income but a chance for everyone to improve the lives of their families and communities, becoming key players to the local food system, food security and environmental sustainability.

Further, while in pursuit of an inclusive, sustainable economy, the city has redefined and empowered the “paleros” or waste workers, the unseen and under-valued informal workers who collect, sort and mange the wastes collected in the city.

The mayor said the city has invested on the ‘paleros’ and they are not just waste collector. They are essential workers who are now called resource collectors and they are the active participants in the recycling and resource recovery processes. Their working conditions have improved; they were provided proper protective gear, given fair wages and offered opportunities for skill development and career advancement, among others.

The mayor further espoused that green jobs must be both environmentally sustainable and offer dignity and security to those who hold them.

By investing in the welfare of our “paleros” or now we call resource collectors, the city is not only enhancing the effectiveness of the waste management system but also ensuring that these workers can lead safer and more secure lives, the mayor said.

The mayor said that this is the way how we build a truly inclusive green economy. One that values every contributor and ensures that progress is shared by all.