President Rodrigo Duterte said he wanted to attend the next world meeting about climate change and to call for accountability of countries that continue to contribute to the worsening climate change crisis.
In his televised Talk to the People aired Tuesday, Duterte expressed disappointment in countries that do not comply with climate-related agreements.
“Unless there is a sanction, nothing will happen. That’s why we need to take revenge, but we cannot do anything,” he said.
The Bonn Climate Change Conference will be held from June 6 to 16 in Germany.
Duterte made the remarks after Climate Change Commission vice-chair Robert Borje discussed how climate change continues to threaten natural resources and negatively impact smaller countries like the Philippines.
“I will personally go there. What do you want? if they maintain their attitude towards this challenging huge task, then we will always be shattered by –. I said they are starting to reduce the carbon footprint. They should do it,” the President said.
“The problem with these countries is that they see the damage of the worsening climate change, but what they only do is to give a meager cash assistance as an atonement maybe for their failure to help planet Earth,” he said, adding that “we don’t need that.”
Duterte said what is needed is the “positive commitment” of these countries “to improve their carbon emissions” because the waters in the Pacific Rim continue to get warmer while the Arctic and the Antarctic ice are melting. And it’s the poor countries that suffer its effects.”
Borje, who was also present in the meeting, said there will also be upcoming conventions in Sweden.
Duterte, however, expressed concern that the countries were too close to Russia and Ukraine, which have an ongoing war.
Borje, in response, vowed to “raise not just a clarion call” but to give all stakeholders and should-be partners a “realization that this cannot happen any further.”
Duterte lamented that poor countries like the Philippines are always the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, despite being a minor contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
In April, Duterte said wealthy nations should compensate developing countries like the Philippines for the damage caused by climate change.
Duterte said climate change will remain a problem “for the next generations to come” unless it is addressed.