He once described the Paris climate deal as “stupid” and “absurd.” But President Duterte is having a change of heart.
While he continued to have “misgivings” about the agreement, Duterte said he would approve the deal if his advisers thought it would be good for the country.
“I will follow what my advisers would tell me. If (environment secretary) Gina Lopez would say it’s good, and if the legal adviser says that I should sign, then I will sign,” the President told reporters during his visit to his parents’ tomb in Davao City Tuesday night.
“The only problem is the paper is not yet with me. I cannot approve or disapprove anything that is not on my table,” he added.
“I will see if I have leeway and elbow room to move because the treaty now that is being signed or passed around for signing is binding,” he said.
Duterte clarified though that he was expressing his opinion as a lawyer, not as a president, because the paper has not reached him yet.
Climate change has been tied to carbon emissions caused by human activities. The phenomenon has been blamed for natural disasters and drastic weather changes.
In April, more than 150 countries signed the historic Paris climate deal that aims to limit global warming “well below” two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. World leaders have also promised to step up measures that would limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
The post Duterte Now Open to Paris Climate Deal appeared first on Philippine Star.
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