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Filipinos to Senate: Pass the Renewable Energy Bill Now!
Greenpeace delivers giant card to legislators
September 29, 2008
Greenpeace activists carry a giant card containing the message “Pass the Renewable Energy Bill Now!” to the Philippine Senate. The 45 square foot card, addressed to the Senate from the Filipino people, was sent by Greenpeace to demand immediate action from the Upper House to pass the Renewable Energy (RE) Bill. The activists also distributed wind turbine-shaped pens with the same message to the Senators to remind them that they should urgently sign the bill into law--and that further delays on the enactment of the crucial legislation, which addresses both energy security and the threat of climate change, are unacceptable.
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The activists also distributed wind turbine-shaped pens with the same message to the Senators to remind them that they should urgently sign the bill into law--and that further delays on the enactment of the crucial legislation, which addresses both energy security and the threat of climate change, are unacceptable.
"The Renewable Energy Bill has been languishing in Philippine Congress for more than a decade, and has been the subject of various petitions from hundreds of thousands of Filipinos calling for its speedy passage. Although it has been passed a couple of times by the House of Representatives, the RE Bill--despite frequently being acknowledged as a priority--constantly gets stuck in the Senate. Today we are demanding that our Senators make the Renewable Energy Law happen now," said Greenpeace Climate and Energy Campaigner Jasper Inventor.
Greenpeace has been consistently challenging the RP government to show decisive action to address climate change, beginning with the passage of the RE Bill. The bill should facilitate the massive uptake of renewable energy in the country by promoting the expansion of sustainable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, and by setting time-bound renewable energy targets. Effective policy mechanisms within the bill should genuinely promote the massive utilization of clean energy even as it secures the energy security and sovereignty of the country and provides great environmental benefits for the Philippines.
Last August, Greenpeace released the report 'Energy [R]evolution: A Sustainable Philippine Energy Outlook,' the first ever comprehensive energy strategy drawn up for the Philippine setting which shows how renewable energy can become the country's energy backbone. According to the report, renewable energy can provide as much as 57% of the country's energy needs by 2030, and 70% by 2050, with 'new' renewables, such as wind, biomass, geothermal and solar energy, contributing as much as 58% to the energy mix.
The report also details how solar energy can provide as much as 4,700 megawatts of installed power capacity in the Philippines by 2030, and as much as 13,000 MW by 2050, while wind power can provide 15,000 MW by 2030, and 22,000 MW by 2050. But the Senate must quickly act on the RE Bill to ensure the fast and effective deployment of such renewable energies today.
"The passage of the Renewable Energy Bill, alongside the phase out of harmful coal-fired power plants, is the country's first step toward a clean, safe, sustainable energy future. Our Senators must pass this bill now to prove that they are seriously committed to promoting solutions to climate change. The Filipino people have been waiting for more than a decade for the adoption of a Renewable Energy Law. We hope this time our Senators will find the wisdom and fortitude to expedite its passage before it is too late to stop the worst impacts of climate change," said Inventor.
"The Renewable Energy Bill has been languishing in Philippine Congress for more than a decade, and has been the subject of various petitions from hundreds of thousands of Filipinos calling for its speedy passage. Although it has been passed a couple of times by the House of Representatives, the RE Bill--despite frequently being acknowledged as a priority--constantly gets stuck in the Senate. Today we are demanding that our Senators make the Renewable Energy Law happen now," said Greenpeace Climate and Energy Campaigner Jasper Inventor.
Greenpeace has been consistently challenging the RP government to show decisive action to address climate change, beginning with the passage of the RE Bill. The bill should facilitate the massive uptake of renewable energy in the country by promoting the expansion of sustainable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, and by setting time-bound renewable energy targets. Effective policy mechanisms within the bill should genuinely promote the massive utilization of clean energy even as it secures the energy security and sovereignty of the country and provides great environmental benefits for the Philippines.
Last August, Greenpeace released the report 'Energy [R]evolution: A Sustainable Philippine Energy Outlook,' the first ever comprehensive energy strategy drawn up for the Philippine setting which shows how renewable energy can become the country's energy backbone. According to the report, renewable energy can provide as much as 57% of the country's energy needs by 2030, and 70% by 2050, with 'new' renewables, such as wind, biomass, geothermal and solar energy, contributing as much as 58% to the energy mix.
The report also details how solar energy can provide as much as 4,700 megawatts of installed power capacity in the Philippines by 2030, and as much as 13,000 MW by 2050, while wind power can provide 15,000 MW by 2030, and 22,000 MW by 2050. But the Senate must quickly act on the RE Bill to ensure the fast and effective deployment of such renewable energies today.
"The passage of the Renewable Energy Bill, alongside the phase out of harmful coal-fired power plants, is the country's first step toward a clean, safe, sustainable energy future. Our Senators must pass this bill now to prove that they are seriously committed to promoting solutions to climate change. The Filipino people have been waiting for more than a decade for the adoption of a Renewable Energy Law. We hope this time our Senators will find the wisdom and fortitude to expedite its passage before it is too late to stop the worst impacts of climate change," said Inventor.
