In particular, these include the creation of the Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability Department which is the first of its kind at the local government level tasked to oversee the materialization of the sustainability initiatives of the city.
The city mayor also implemented various public transport projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions such as the deployment of 100 electric buses under the Bus Augmentation Program and provision of more than 200 electric tricycles among drivers and operators as part of the Green Fleet Transition initiative of the local government.
Belmonte likewise presented an array of the city’s ecologically-sound programs in line with the circular economy strategy including the Trash to Cashback project that converts the recyclable wastes of residents into environmental points which can be used to purchase essential goods and pay utility bills; the Vote to Tote project which aided the manufacturing of bags out of the tarpaulins that were used in the election period; deployment of biodigesters in community farms and public markets for the transformation of organic wastes into methane gas that can be used for cooking as well as soil conditioning; and establishment of relevant partnership with the Scholars of Sustenance to properly address food surplus by giving back to the underprivileged in the community.
The city government is also pushing for the promotion of active mobility among residents by extending its 90-kilometer bike lane to 350 kilometers to create a more expansive bike network in 2030 alongside the development of green pedestrian corridors under the ‘Green Open Reclaimed Areas’ or GORA Lane project.
Aside from the solarization of public facilities, the local government is likewise planning for energy efficiency conservation projects such as the implementation of the ‘Green Building Code’ which targets to heighten the minimum energy efficiency requirement of private establishments by giving incentives to those who will comply with the set standard.
On the other hand, the urban farming industry in the city is continuously thriving. The City Council passed an Ordinance giving tax exemption to the idle lands being used as urban farms that generatr more green jobs and sustainable sources of healthy food supplies. To date, the city has 670 urban farms that are being cultivated by 17,000 farmers.
Moreover, Belmonte said the city government has long been advocating for responsible water use through the conduct of water conservation activities including the development of rainwater collection system and creation of drainage master plan to strengthen flood control measures during natural disasters.
In the aspect of air quality improvement, the local government deployed 20 air quality monitoring centers around the city and the data gathered will be used to inform the Local Air Quality Management Plan.
In retrospect, Quezon City is the only Philippine-based local government member of C40, a climate leadership network composed of megacities that are in the forefront of climate change action through science-guided approaches. Accordingly, the international commitments defined in this partnership were contextualized to the Enhanced Local Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP) of the city for the year 2021 to 2050.
“Makakasisiguro ang Quezon City na sa ilalim ng aking administrasyon, poprotektahan natin ng lubusan ang kalikasan upang tugunan ang mga hamong dulot ng nagbabagong klima. Lahat ng mga inisyatibong ito ay naipapatupad hindi lamang sa political will ng ating administrasyon kun’di dahil din sa suporta ng mga local at international partners na katuwang natin sa mga proyektong may kinalaman sa inclusive climate action (Quezon City can rest assured that under my administration, we will fully protect the environment in response to the challenges brought by climate change. All of these initiatives can materialize not only through the political will of this administration but also through the support of our local and international partners who are one with us in terms of implementing projects that involve inclusive climate action),” said Mayor Belmonte.
“Malinaw na sa pamamagitan ng kolektibong kamalayan at aksyon, sama-sama nating malalampasan at matutugunan ang mga hamon ng isang nagbabagong planeta (It is clear that through collective awareness and action, we can togetherly conquer the challenges of a changing planet),” she added. (PIA-NCR)
