Quezon City has been selected as one of three national finalists for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) One Planet City Challenge (OPCC) 2021-2022.
Two other major cities – Davao and Dipolog City were also selected along with Quezon City. These three cities were selected among the 16 qualified cities from the Philippines.
The OPCC is a friendly global competition initiated by the WWF to recognize cities for their climate actions and ambitions and assess whether they align with the goals set forth in the Paris Agreement in limiting climate change to 1.5 °C.
Cities are also key contributors to climate change, as urban activities are significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions. An estimated 75 percent of global CO2 emissions are from cities, with transport and buildings being among the largest contributors.
But some cities have started to use renewable energy sources, implement regulations to limit industrial emissions, and institute energy efficiency measures
Quezon City Mayor Josefina “Joy” Belmonte expressed her gratitude to WFF-OPCC for selecting her city as one of the finalists.
“We are so proud to be one of the finalists to this friendly global competition on addressing climate change,” Belmonte said.
She added that this would mean that international organizations such as WFF have recognized their efforts on climate actions to increase the city’s resilience with its residents and businesses adapting to the changing climate.
The three Philippine finalists, along with those finalists from other countries, also have qualified to participate in the OPCC’s We Love Cities campaign, which aims to bridge and foster better communication between city officials and the citizens they represent on climate and sustainability issues.
All OPCC finalists will be evaluated by an international jury panel with members who are leading experts within the field of urban sustainability from around the globe. The winners will be announced this May-June 2022.
In OPCC, cities are encouraged to present their best practices and holistic plans to substantially reduce the effects of climate change and accelerate climate transformation.
For the 2021-2022 leg of OPCC, there are a total of 280 cities participating, coming from 50 countries. Since its inception 10 years ago, close to 600 cities from 53 countries on 5 continents have already participated in this challenge