DOE chief: No need to rush into the ‘net zero’ bandwagon

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s energy chief sees no need to establish “net zero” commitments given the Philippine market’s aggressive renewable buildup.

Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Sharon Garin said Thursday the net zero targets being set by other countries were their commitments to international organizations or institutions.

Net zero means cutting carbon emissions to a small amount of residual emissions that can be absorbed and durably stored by nature and other carbon dioxide removal measures, leaving zero in the atmosphere.

To keep global warming to no more than 1.5°C – as called for in the Paris Agreement, the international treaty on climate change – emissions need to be reduced by 45 percent by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.

Data from the United Nations showed that as of mid-2024, at least 107 countries had adopted net zero pledges.

READ: Net-zero pledges growing but integrity lacking – study

Own goals

In the case of the Philippines, she said the government has its own goals—to increase the share of renewable energy in the power generation mix to 35 percent by 2030 and even scale this up to 50 percent by 2040. Currently, the contribution is only at 22 percent.

READ: PH target: 30% renewables by 2030

“So we have a national target in a sense at our own domestic policies. We do not need to commit to any other country what we want to do for our country,” Garin told reporters on the sidelines of the Philippine Net Zero Conference 2025 in Taguig City.

“We decide ourselves what our targets are. And we have good targets for net zero,” she added.

The Marcos administration has been ramping up its efforts to entice more investors in the renewable space. It has the green energy auction program to accelerate clean assets deployments, while providing developers with incentivized fixed power rates. /dda