President Duterte signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change Instrument of Accession Tuesday night despite being very vocal about his misgivings.
The Instrument of Accession, a document signifying the country’s ratification of the agreement, will be delivered to the office of Sen. Loren B. Legarda, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Climate Change.
Loren said she will sponsor the document for Senate concurrence, the final step in the ratification process. Senate approval would also mean that the deal becomes a treaty.
The United Nations Global Champion for Resilience was reported to have worked behind the scenes to ensure the pact’s ratification.
The Instrument of Accession was given to Duterte on January during the first Climate Change Commission and Advisory Board en banc meeting of his administration.
The Paris Agreement is an agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It deals with greenhouse gases emissions mitigation, adaptation, and finance starting in the year 2020. So far, the treaty has 194 signatories.
Duterte had previously expressed doubts on the treaty mainly because of the fund needed. According to Duterte, he found the treaty problematic as it does not state who will foot the fund of $5 billion and that those who will violate it will face no sanctions. (Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos)