Philippines commits to 75% emissions reduction target by 2035

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Juan Miguel T. Cuna has announced that the Philippines is committed to a 75 percent net emissions reduction and avoidance target between 2025 and 2035. This goal is based on projected cumulative business-as-usual emissions and is anchored in the country’s enhanced 2026 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), approved by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

The 75 percent target is divided into two parts: a 7 percent unconditional contribution to be met through domestic resources and national capacities, and a 68 percent conditional contribution that relies on international climate finance, technology transfer, and capacity building. Cuna described the NDC as a national economic platform that connects climate action to energy security, fiscal resilience, and social protection.

To achieve these goals, the government aims to implement a unified operational architecture including a long-term strategy, a just transition framework, and a carbon market policy framework. Cuna emphasized that the transition must be socially inclusive, noting that a “low-carbon transition cannot succeed if it is technically sound but socially disruptive.” The framework seeks to protect vulnerable sectors, informal workers, and local communities while utilizing nature-based solutions such as forests and mangroves.