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In April 2021, the Philippines committed to a 75% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its 2020 numbers as part of the Paris Agreement. It also aimed to increase renewable energy (“RE” or “renewables”) usage to 35% to enable this goal. Plans are still in motion for the country’s RE transition, but as far as progress is concerned, Southeast Asia’s Green Economy 2022 Report found the Philippines to be a laggard in the race for green energy. According to the report, this slow pace is due to a lack of concrete implementation to accompany our loftier plans, so high hopes rest on the incoming administration to catch up and make good on our commitment to GHG reduction.

As early as 30 years ago, businesses had to make a tough choice: make more profit or save the planet. Even back then, focusing on environmental initiatives was costly for business. The costs for going green were steep, and corporations saw little returns for their business in such a scenario. This has pushed them to question whether adopting environmentally friendly practices poses a win-win situation for business on one hand and saving the environment on the other.

Climate change, depletion of biodiversity, and waste management. All these have and continue to put a threat to human lives. These issues, more commonly referred to as environmental problems, bring global economies to come together and find the most appropriate course of action to combat or at least reverse the damage brought by these risks. To add, these risks and their adverse effects to the quality of human life today and in the future have given rise to the concept of intergenerational ethics, a sense of moral obligation to preserve the environment for future generations.

NEW year, renewed optimism. This was the perspective of most businesses toward the end of the 2021, with most expressing confidence that they could start embracing hybrid work arrangements for their workforces come 2022. The rosy outlook came at the heels of mass inoculation programs initiated by the government. In a Collier's report released in November last year, several employers stated that they were expecting a big chunk of their workforces to return to the office this year while others said they were set to adopt a mix of remote and on-site work setups.