Albay’s Green Economy Program, which has enabled the Bicol province to make significant economic gains over the last eight years despite its constant battering by natural calamities brought about by climate change, has earned the attention and respect of French President François Hollande during his recent February 26 and 27 state visit.
Hollande’s state visit and inspection of Ground Zero of Supertyphoon Yolanda in Tacloban City was aimed to drum up support for world action on climate change ahead of France’s hosting of the 21st Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 21) in Paris in December this year.
The French embassy invited Albay Gov. Joey Salceda to present his climate change-based Albay Green Economy Program at a state dinner tendered by President Aquino in Malacañang for Hollande and his delegation.
Albay’s Green Economy is a pioneering program on sustainable economic development and poverty alleviation anchored on environment protection and enhancement. Salceda made a presentation of the program, along with his province’s much acclaimed climate-change adaptation (CCA) and disaster-risk reduction (DRR) strategies.
Salceda summarized Albay’s Green Economy gains as follows: Zero casualty during disasters; increased forest cover by 88 percent in seven years; increased mangrove areas from 700 hectares to 2,400 hectares; hiked rice production from 147,291 metric tons in 2008 to 200,088 metric tons in 2013; despite weather disturbances, contributed 250 megawatts of geothermal power to national power grid; investments in environment; enhanced ecotourism, which hiked foreign tourists inflow from 8,700 in 2006 to 339,000 in 2013.
As Bicol Regional Development Council (RDC) chairman and applying the green economic principle, Salceda has transformed the region into the fastest-growing region in 2013 with a 9.4-percent growth, higher than the 7.4-percent national average growth rate. Albay Green Economy has also earned praises from 2008 Oscar Best Actress Marion Cotillard, now a leading climate-change adaptation campaigner, who was with President Hollande’s delegation.
Salceda’s presentation was a “very passionate, beautiful speech that inspired us to make a stand…green economy is a solution to climate change, that is not only possible but imperative,” the French actress, who is now a high-profile climate-change adaptation campaigner, said.
PNA