Low Carbon News in Philippines in September 2013

11 September 2013

LEAD helps Builds Capacity for a Sustainable National GHG Inventory System in the Philippines

USAID partnered with the Philippines Climate Change Commission to build the capacity of Filipino officials and experts on national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories for the forestry sector at a workshop September 5-6 in Manila.  As part of the “Enhancing Capacity for Low Emission Development Strategies” (EC-LEDS) initiative in the Philippines, the training supports Climate Change Commission efforts to create a sustainable national GHG inventory system. Key staff from the Philippines Climate Change Commission and Forestry Management Bureau (both central office and regional field staff) were trained in the GHG inventory preparation process, methodologies for data collection and measurement, formats of submission of activity data, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines in estimating greenhouse gas emissions.

Source: Low Emission Asia, http://lowemissionsasia.org/news/ghg-inventory-training-philippines#sthash.jLUUnUfP.dpuf

Climate Change Commission unveils first climate change map

16 September 2013

At the September 13 budget hearing of the Climate Change Commission, Secretary Mary Ann Lucille Sering unveiled a climate change map of Cagayan de Oro, one of the most disaster-prone cities in the country.

The 3-dimensional map is “the first of its kind in the Philippines” and was finished within a record span of 6 months with the help of the local government, the Department of Science and Technology, National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) and Project NOAH.

Attached to the Office of the President, the Climate Change Commission is the government’s policy-making body tasked with coordinating and evaluating climate change programs and action plans.

Source: Rappler, http://www.rappler.com/nation/39057-climate-change-commission-cdo-map

Latest Philippine-made solar car to race in Australia

18 September 2013

Sikat II-A, the latest solar-powered race car developed and built in the Philippines, is already in Australia where the race, World Solar Challenge 2013, will be held from October 6 to 13. On September 18, the team who developed and will operate the car during the race was given a warm send-off in a gathering of scientists, environmentalists, media, students and members of the academe in De La Salle University (DLSU) in Manila. Dubbed Team Sikat Solar Philippines, the group is composed of 20 mechanical and electrical engineering students from DLSU and 6 faculty members.

Source: Rappler, http://www.rappler.com/science-nature/39269-solar-powered-car-sikat-iia

Japanese e-trike maker to invest P4.4-B in PH

24 September 2013

Japanese electric vehicle startup BEET Philippine Inc. has introduced its electric tricycle, which is powered by lithium battery and AC motor, in the Philippines.

In a statement, BEET Philippine said it committed to investing Php4.4 billion (JPY10 B) in the Philippines. The company plans to produce an initial batch of 5,000 electric tricycles, which are expected to be commercially available by April 2014.

BEET is also planning to hire 1,000 employees and produce 150,000 electric tricycles within the next five years. The company has already registered the e-trike with the Land Transportation Office (LTO). BEET is the first Japanese company in the country to register an e-trike. The BEET e-trike has five main components: lithium ion battery, AC motor, inverter, vehicle control unit (VCU), and battery management system (BMS), which keep the e-trike stable through various road and weather conditions.

Source: ABS-CBN News, http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/09/24/13/japanese-firm-invest-p44-b-e-trikes-ph

27 September 2013

Development cooperation for a climate change-resilient Philippines

In keeping with the International Climate Initiative’s commitment of improving systems and framing of conditions related to sustainable forest management, protected areas (marine and terrestrial) and biodiversity conservation, GIZ strengthens key institutions and supports the implementation of pilot projects to mitigate the effects of climate change through the Support to the Climate Change Commission in the Implementation of the National Framework Strategy on Climate Change and the National Climate Change Action Plan (SupportCCC) project.

Through knowledge and technology transfer and improvement of policies, SupportCCC’s Renewable Energy Component sets the foundation for the transition of the country’s transition to a low-carbon economy and development of sustainable alternative sources of energy. Guided by GIZ’s concept of sustainable development, the Preparation of a National REDD-Plus Mechanism for Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Conservation of Biodiversity in the Philippines (National REDD-Plus System Philippines) project supports the protection and the sustainable use of forests to conserve them in their function as carbon reservoirs as well as habitat for a rich biodiversity and as a source of livelihood for all Filipinos. In addition, the Promotion of Green Economic Development program promotes a climate-friendly economy.

Source: University of the Philippines System Website, http://www.up.edu.ph/development-cooperation-for-a-climate-change-resilient-philippines/

Bicycle sharing launched in a city in Manila

30 September 2013

Residents of Pasig City will soon be pedaling dragonflies around the city. Tutubi (or dragonfly) is a metaphor for the way people will fly around the city on the proposed future city-wide bicycle sharing network. Bicycle sharing is a network of stations where a person can pick up a bicycle at one station, use it and drop it off at any other station in the network. It is a system that allows the public short-term access to bicycles as a transportation option for practically free.

The Tutubi bike-sharing system is the first of its kind in the Philippines. It is a demonstration project launched by the Asian Development Bank, funded by the Japanese Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR) and managed by Clean Air Asia.

Source: Clean Air Initiative, http://cleanairinitiative.org/portal/node/12100