The Philippine government is targeting a 75-percent net emissions reduction and avoidance over a 10-year period from 2025 to 2035, measured against projected cumulative business emissions, Environment Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna said.
The commitment forms part of the country’s enhanced 2026 nationally determined contribution (NDC), which Cuna said sets the direction for a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy. “Our national trajectory is unequivocally defined by low carbon and climate-resilient development, firmly anchored in our enhanced 2026 nationally determined contribution (NDC), approved by his excellency President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.,” he said during the Philippine Net Zero Conference 2026 at the Philippine Trade Training Center in Pasay City.
2026 NDC Sets Two-Part Climate Commitment
Under the enhanced 2026 NDC, the target is divided into a 7-percent unconditional contribution that will be supported by domestic resources and national capacities, alongside a 68-percent conditional contribution that depends specifically on climate finance, technology transfer, and capacity-building.
Cuna said the structure takes into account the country’s fiscal circumstances while maintaining its climate ambitions. “The distinction reflects the integrity of our national context and fiscal realities while sustaining our high ambition,” he said.
He also described the 2026 NDC as a broader economic framework rather than a climate policy alone, saying it is the country’s “NDC is our national economic platform linking climate action directly to energy security, economic stability, fiscal resilience, and social protection.”
Meeting the 75-percent target, however, will require more than setting a national goal. Cuna said the government needs a unified operational architecture supported by a long-term strategy, NDC implementation plan, just transition framework, carbon market policy framework, and financial and investment plan.
Climate Action Must Reach the Real Economy
Cuna stressed that cooperation on decarbonization needs to move from discussions toward structured and accountable implementation. He said this is necessary to close the gap between the country’s climate ambitions and actual delivery across the economy.
The transition must also account for its social consequences. Cuna warned that a technically sound low-carbon shift could still fail if it causes social disruption, emphasizing that the Philippine transition framework is intended to protect vulnerable sectors, informal workers and local communities as decarbonization progresses.
The environment chief also acknowledged the work still ahead at the department, particularly as he responds to the concerns raised by the President. “I need to study more because the President asked so many questions,” Cuna told The Manila Times.
Cuna served as keynote speaker at the Philippine Net Zero Conference 2026, themed “Bridging Gaps: Radical Collaboration for a Net Zero Future.” The summit was organized by the Net Zero Carbon Alliance, which is marking its fifth anniversary of leading a private-sector coalition toward net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. The alliance was founded in 2021 by First Gen-owned Energy Development Corp. (First Gen Renewables).
The 75-percent target will ultimately be measured not just in policy documents, but in how it affects energy costs, jobs, investment, public services, and communities. Turning the commitment into measurable emissions cuts while protecting livelihoods will be central to whether the country’s climate plans translate into tangible gains on the ground.
