The cities of Makati and Pasig in Metro Manila, and San Carlos in Negros Occidental have been selected as national finalists representing the Philippines in the World Wide Fund (WWF) One Planet City Challenge (OPCC).
The 3 Philippine cities are among the 40 finalists chosen out of 133 cities from 23 countries vying to be recognized for developing solutions towards a low-carbon, climate-resilient environment, announced the WWF Philippines release.
Makati, Pasig, and San Carlos will be participating in the OPCC’s “We Love Cities” campaign to engage citizens to support city improvements for environmentally-friendly infrastructure, housing, and transport. The campaign will run from May 7 to the end of June 2018.
Launched in 2011 as the Earth Hour City Challenge, the OPCC highlights the crucial role that cities play in the transition toward a low-carbon and sustainable future.
Philippine cities have been in the finals since the country joined the challenge in 2015. Makati and San Carlos were finalists in both 2015 and 2016.
Since then, 420 countries from 5 continents have heeded the call to sustainably address fast and large transformations in population, consumption patterns, resource use, and waste management.
The 2018 edition of the OPCC is anchored on sustainable transport and mobility, which is a major environmental challenge for cities around the globe.
Almost one-third of carbon emissions come from the transportation of people and goods.
As it is a challenge, it is also a great opportunity for cities to capitalize on sustainable solutions like renewable energy and positive synergies to meet the demands of highly urbanized lifestyles without exhausting our planet’s ecological capacity.
“Cities must cultivate their potential to directly improve the quality of life of their citizens while simultaneously reducing environmental impact. Offering smarter alternatives for energy, transportation, and building standards that affect a significant number of people is key in ensuring that we all thrive without pushing the limits of our shared home,” WWF-Philippines President and CEO Joel Palma stated, while congratulating the 3 national finalists.
An international expert jury will review all finalist cities, selecting both national and a global winner, which will be announced in a press release in June/July 2018 and thereafter celebrated in a global awards ceremony.
Visit www.panda.org/opcc and http://www.welovecities.org/ for further details and updates.
