Improve transparency as the Philippines prepares its first climate report, plus other news

For PropertyGuru’s news roundup, the Philippines’ Climate Change Commission is stepping up efforts to improve climate transparency as it prepares the country’s first Biennial Transparency Report. In other stories, Vietnam convened a conference on green transformation in agricultural and food production for EU market expansion. Lastly, China passed a new energy law to promote carbon neutrality.

PH preps 1st climate report, boosts transparency efforts

The Climate Change Commission (CCC) is stepping up efforts to improve climate transparency as it prepares the Philippines’ first Biennial Transparency Report (BTR).

In a statement on Monday, CCC Vice Chair Robert Borje highlighted the agency’s collaboration with the Capacity Building Initiatives on Transparency – Global Support Programme (CBIT-GSP) to hold workshops aimed at building institutional capacity.

“This training is crucial for strengthening key agencies’ ability to meet requirements under the Enhanced Transparency Framework,” Borje said in a report by PNA.

Vietnam needs transformation to green production to facilitate exports to EU: workshop

A conference on green transformation in agricultural and food production for EU market expansion convened on 13th November to explore Vietnam’s potential in environmentally friendly production, with experts proposing strategic measures to support sustainable, EU-compliant exports.

VietnamPlus reports that Le Hoang Tai, Deputy Director of the ministry’s Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency, highlighted the importance of the bloc as one of the country’s leading trade and investment partners. He said the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) have helped the Southeast Asian nation step up trade cooperation, attract investment, and easier access to technology transfer.

From the European Commission (EC) perspective, Jean-Jacques Bouflet, Vice Chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham), underscored the importance of the European Green Deal (EGD) in shaping sustainable policies. However, he acknowledged the challenges Vietnamese exporters face, such as the bloc’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).

Bouflet stressed that compliance with these standards, while necessary, also opens significant opportunities for Vietnamese companies to integrate further into global supply chains. The collaboration between the EU and Vietnam in areas like renewable energy, circular economy, and technology transfer will accelerate sustainable development and carbon neutrality goals for both sides.

China passes new energy law to ‘actively and steadily’ promote carbon neutrality

China on 8th November passed a new energy law to promote carbon neutrality, state media reported, as Beijing moves ahead with its pledge to decarbonise its economy by 2060.

China is the world’s biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases scientists say drive global warming and climate change. But it is also a global leader in clean energy — building almost twice as much wind and solar capacity as every other country combined.

It has committed to bringing carbon dioxide emissions to a peak by the end of the decade and to net zero by 2060.

According to HKFP, state news agency Xinhua reported that the officials had voted to pass the energy law on Friday, saying it would “actively and steadily promote carbon peaking and carbon neutrality”. The law was formulated to “promote high-quality energy development, ensure national energy security, (and) promote green and low-carbon transformation and sustainable development of the economy and society”, according to Xinhua.

The Property Report editors wrote this article. For more information, email: [email protected].