The Philippines' national carbon intensity continues to climb, according to the Climate Change Commission (CCC), with the country's fossil carbon dioxide emissions up 25% since 2021 even as Manila pursues its commitments under the Paris Agreement.

Speaking before corporate executives at the Philippine Net Zero Conference 2026, CCC Secretary Robert E.A. Borje said the national emissions trajectory remains headed in the wrong direction.\n“At the national level, the absolute emissions trajectory still moves, however, in the opposite direction,” Mr. Borje said.

The Philippines is a signatory to the Paris Agreement, the global treaty that seeks to keep the rise in global temperature below 2°C — and, under its terms, to pursue efforts toward 1.5°C. Under its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) climate action plan, the country has committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 75% by 2030; NDCs are the emissions pledges each Paris signatory sets for itself, and 2030 is the deadline for the current round of targets. That pledge is split into a 7% unconditional target and a 68% conditional target, with the latter dependent on external support, including public-private investment and international climate finance. Nearly nine-tenths of the commitment therefore rides on that conditional share, making private-sector participation central to whether the target is met.

Mr. Borje said private enterprises are vital to achieving the goal. However, a review of publicly available filings and sustainability reports found that only 20 of the 137 listed Philippine companies provided clear, year-to-year carbon data — the kind of figures against which any corporate contribution to the national target can be measured.

He noted that while several major Philippine firms reported better carbon intensity — meaning lower emissions relative to their level of output — their actual physical emissions continued to climb as operations expanded. One major listed conglomerate, he said, reported 230 tons of emissions in just four minutes of daily operations, equivalent to 11 months of emissions for 100 average Filipinos.

“That scale tells us where the greatest leverage lies. Individual choices matter, but bending the national curve will require decisions about assets, contracts, technologies, and capital,” he said.

Even among companies making progress, their combined impact remains a tiny fraction of the national footprint. “From our standpoint, the falling lines carry only about a tenth of disclosed absolute emissions,” Mr. Borje said.

“Voluntary action is real, and several companies have achieved measurable reductions, and for that we have to give credit. But it is not yet at the scale we need. Voluntary action alone will not be enough,” he added.

With 2030 fixed as the NDC deadline, what remains to be seen is whether corporate disclosure widens beyond the 20 of 137 listed companies now reporting clear year-to-year data, and whether the national emissions curve bends toward the pledged 75% cut.

— Sheldeen Joy Talavera

Source: BusinessWorld