Climate change was the “overarching” concern among world leaders at the recently concluded Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Bangkok, Thailand, President Marcos said upon his return to the country late Saturday night.
“The overarching global concern for everyone is and should be global – the climate change issues that are coming,” Marcos said in his arrival speech.
While various agreements relating to climate change adaptation have been sealed in the past, the Chief Executive said APEC countries have admitted that “there’s very little that has been actually done.”
Marcos earlier urged APEC to address climate change, “the greatest existential threat” affecting the region. The regional economic bloc can and should contribute to a trade and investment environment that assists economies in cutting greenhouse gas emissions, facilitating climate financing and ensuring genuine and effective technology transfer for the most vulnerable developing countries, he said.
The two-day APEC summit was attended by the 21 member economies – Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.