Earth Hour 2023 unites more than 60 NGOs, NGAs and LGUs to give the biggest hour for Earth

The celebration of Earth Hour 2023 in the Philippines was a success, with iconic landmarks, local governments, and businesses across the country participating in the switch-off. 

Earth Hour is an annual event organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature-Philippines (WWF-Philippines) that encourages people to turn off their lights for an hour as a symbol of their commitment to the planet. This global movement aims to raise awareness about climate change and the need for urgent action to mitigate its impacts. The event also seeks to highlight the value of nature as climate’s secret ally and the halting of biodiversity loss as one of the organization’s critical advocacies.

WWF-Philippines asserts support to the UN Environment Assembly in adopting new treaty on plastic pollution

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is one with the Philippines and other United Nations (UN) countries in a push for a new global treaty on plastic pollution, which will be discussed at this year’s UN Environment Assembly or UNEA 5.2.

The Philippines is a co-sponsor of the Peru and Rwanda Resolution which proposes that UNEA establishes an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) with a mandate to prepare a new legally binding global agreement that would form part of international law.

At UNEA 5.2, happening this February 28 to March 4, 2022 to also coincide with the 10th anniversary of its creation and the 50th anniversary of the UN Environment Programme, UN Member States are expected to adopt a decision to start negotiations on a new treaty on plastic pollution. More than three-fourths of the UN membership publicly support the development of a new global agreement along with more than 2.1 million individuals, 25 financial institutions, and more than 60 companies globally.

5 Tips for Businesses to Achieve a Plastic Pollution-Free Christmas

Plastic pollution in the Philippines has already reached an alarming rate and continues to be one of the top environmental challenges for the country and the rest of the globe.

According to a report released by WWF-Philippines in 2020, Filipinos consume a yearly average of 20kg of plastics, from which 15.43kg/cap/year becomes waste. Insufficient recycling capacities for high value recyclables (i.e. PET, PP, HDPE) and the high volume of low value plastics (including sachets) are some factors that affect the country’s low plastic recycling rate, at 9%. The report further estimates that the Philippines leaks about 35% of plastic wastes into the environment.

With the economy slowly opening, WWF-Philippines encourages businesses to integrate plastic pollution-free practices to fight plastic pollution. Here are some useful tips for business owners on how they can participate in creating a plastic pollution-free Christmas this 2021.

WWF-Philippines, Cisco Systems make pitch for food security in Northern Palawan amid pandemic

A farmer plants rice in a field on the island municipality of Dumaran, Northern Palawan. WWF-Philippines and WWF-Singapore are pushing for food security for Dumaran. Photograph © Alo Lantin / WWF-Philippines

In a bid for sustainable food security, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines, with the help of Cisco Systems, has committed to the construction of food sheds in rural communities in Northern Palawan.

The project comes in response to livelihood disruptions caused by the pandemic. With lockdown restrictions making travel between towns difficult, many farmers and fishers have had difficulty selling their produce. Regional tourism has also plummeted, pushing coastal communities once reliant on visiting tourists further into poverty.