Largest Philippine city is one of 17 cities worldwide receiving technical support for climate action from the UN-awarded CFF program

Quezon City, the largest city in land area and population in Metro Manila, Philippines, is one of the 17 cities in the world that are receiving technical assistance for climate action from the C40 Cities Finance Facility (CFF) program, which was named a recipient of the 2020 United Nations Global Climate Action Award last month for being a “best example of what people across the globe are doing to combat climate change… to mobilize action and ambition as national governments work toward implementing the Paris Climate Change Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.”

The program, funded by the German, UK, and US governments and the British NGO Children Investment Fund Foundation and implemented by GIZ and the C40 Cities network, recognizes the key roles of cities in mitigating climate change, as they account for over 70% of global CO2 emissions and are expected to host more than two-thirds of the global population by 2050. The program builds bridges between cities and investors for viable financing of climate-friendly infrastructure projects, and provides learning opportunities for city administrations.

In Quezon City, the CFF program is providing the government technical assistance in the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on the rooftops of 50 public schools towards the end of next year through a public-private partnership (PPP).

The program is assisting specifically with the preparation of the technical feasibility study, definition of the institutional and legal structures, planning of the financial investment, and preparation of the tender documents for the planned start of the PPP procurement next month and its expected completion by the second quarter next year.

The program is also training the solar Technical Working Group of the Quezon City Government (QCG) to conduct the technical design and financial analysis of planned future PV installations.

From 50 schools, Quezon City hopes to install, in 10 years, PV systems in all city-owned buildings and facilities that can meet the technical and design requirements.

The PV systems are expected to cut the schools’ electricity costs and make more funds available for their other education expenses, while reducing CO2 emissions by an estimated 88 tons per year, equivalent to close to 10,000 gallons of gasoline use.

The city government hopes that the project will help it “accelerate concrete action towards low-carbon development through renewable energy options,” said Andrea Villaroman, head of the QCG’s Environmental Protection and Waste Management Department. “The project will definitely contribute to the reduction of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions and electricity consumption while raising the environmental awareness of the city,” she added.

The best practices from the QCG project will be documented and shared with other cities in the Philippines and other countries.

Photo: Aerial view of Quezon City in 2017 (Patrick Roque at English Wikipedia)