CARCAR CITY, CEBU PHILIPPINES  7 February 2019 – The Climate Change Commission (CCC) has urged cooperatives to use their network in local communities to raise awareness on local climate adaptation and mitigation practices.
 
“We strongly believe that tapping into the energy and dynamism of cooperatives nationwide would help in advancing the country’s climate agenda forward. I hope we would be able to find more points for convergence and collaboration on climate action,” CCC Secretary Emmanuel De Guzman said during the Cooperative Forum on February 5 organized by the Cooperatives Development Authority (CDA) and the City Government of Cebu.

De Guzman said among the climate actions the cooperative sector could do are the following: promote and mainstream sustainable food production operations and practices; provide early warnings on impending natural hazards; raise awareness on climate change adaptation and mitigation practices (CCAM); provide finance to local mitigation and adaptation projects; and serve as the voice of climate justice during local participatory budgeting and decision making processes.
 
“Given your proximity to rural communities and your unique capacity to instill the value of climate action within your group, cooperatives could play a key role in ensuring rapid and effective response to climate change on the ground,” De Guzman said.
 
The Commission, he said, is in the process of finding the 100 best adaptation practices nationwide which will be showcased in the CCC’s upcoming events.
 
“Our goal is to inspire other local government units to implement their own adaptation initiatives. If you are a part of an organization working on innovative, transformative local practices for adaptation, please do not hesitate to share your story with us and to the nation,” De Guzman said.