Baguio City has been selected as one of the national finalists among 350 cities from 50 countries for the World Wide Fund (WWF) One Planet City Challenge (OPCC) 2023-2024 for actively advancing efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts.
Out of 15 cities in the Philippines pitching entries to the OPCC 2023-2024, Baguio, Makati, and Tagum advanced as national finalists based on the climate initiative commitments submitted to the Carbon Disclosure Project-International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (CDP-ICLEI) Track, evaluated and scored using the OPCC Assessment Framework 2023.
The OPCC is a biennial global competition that aims to help cities deliver the commitments in the Paris Agreement to limit the rise in global temperature to below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
WWF-Philippines Executive Director Katherine Custodio congratulated the city government of Baguio for the local government’s commitment to urban climate action.
“The climate crisis is the defining issue of our time and what you do today will help determine a safer future for everyone. In this planetary emergency local action is crucial,” Custodio said in her letter to Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong, dated April 4.
The WWF’s OPCC aims to ensure LGU efforts are counted in the global climate arena through transparent climate action reporting.
Custodio said an international jury of experts is reviewing the city’s reporting and will eventually select an OPCC national winner with the most ambitious and integrated climate action plan.
The jury will then select two global winners to be announced publicly and awarded in November 2024.
As a finalist, Baguio is eligible to participate in the popular “We Love Cities” campaign, a platform to engage citizens online in an aim to bridge and foster better communication between city officials and the public to work together on climate and sustainability issues. – Jessa Mardy Samidan
