The Climate Change Commission joined the World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists in Lisbon, Portugal, to present the Philippines’ data-driven climate decision-making efforts through policy tools.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines is pushing for data-driven climate governance on the global stage, asserting that developing nations can no longer rely on broad emissions targets without the hard technical evidence required to execute them.

Speaking at the World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists (WCERE), Climate Change Commission (CCC) Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje outlined the complex realities that vulnerable countries face when navigating technical climate negotiations.

Borje stressed that modern climate policymaking has fundamentally evolved. It is no longer just about setting high-level mitigation goals; it now demands precise carbon accounting, rigorous adaptation metrics, accurate climate finance tracking, and heavily modeled long-term transition pathways.

“Effective climate policy depends entirely on robust technical evidence,” Borje said. He noted that without credible data and sharp analytical tools, governments cannot design the responsive, forward-looking strategies necessary to protect their economies and communities.

For the Philippines, this focus on empirical data is driving a domestic overhaul of climate governance. The CCC is actively upgrading the national greenhouse gas inventories, standardizing localized climate risk assessments, and integrating hard metrics into policy planning. This evidence-first approach directly executes the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to embed climate change adaptation and resilience at the core of the country's national development framework.

The Philippines underscored that technical capacity constraints across developing countries highlight the urgent need to ramp up the delivery of means of implementation, particularly on technology transfer and capacity-building support.

To help address these gaps, Borje cited international analytical platforms—such as the Inclusive Forum on Carbon Mitigation Approaches (IFCMA)—as practical resources that can complement the work of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), enabling countries to access shared methodologies and comparable data while strengthening nationally driven climate action.

Borje also underscored that international cooperation must go beyond financial pledges; it must include the sharing of technical knowledge, including contributions to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

“Climate ambition must be matched by sound evidence, strong partnerships, and inclusive cooperation,” Borje added, stressing that global collaboration is the only way to translate high-level climate goals into equitable, on-the-ground solutions.

The WCERE, held in a hybrid setup in Lisbon, Portugal, convened top economists, policymakers, and researchers to tackle the critical intersection of environmental sustainability, resource management, and escalating climate risks.

Through the CCC, the Philippines continues to advocate for science-based and inclusive climate action that supports both global goals and national development priorities.

For more information on the CCC’s climate mainstreaming programs and partnerships, visit www.climate.gov.ph and www.facebook.com/CCCPhl.