Can climate and environmental agenda win an election?

MANILA, Philippines – As the Philippines gears up for another election season, can climate and environmental issues sway voters?

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte believes these can but only if they are framed in a way that directly connects to people’s everyday struggles.

“Climate change by itself won’t win votes,” Belmonte said.  

“But when you break it down into its specific impacts — like food security, heatwaves, extreme weather, health risks, and disruptions to education — it becomes something voters can relate to and care about,” she said in the C40 Cities Southeast Asia Regional Academy press conference on Tuesday, September 3.

The regional event, initially set for August, was postponed due to Typhoon Carina and the southwest monsoon, which led to several areas, including Quezon City, being placed under a state of calamity

Belmonte’s approach resonated with Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone. Aki-Sawyerr’s political career was ignited by a landslide linked to deforestation and urban development that claimed nearly 1,000 lives.

Instead of focusing on climate change as a broad concept, Aki-Sawyerr addressed the immediate problems her community faced, such as floods and poor air quality in her campaign.

“I didn’t in my first election in 2018 go around saying, ‘I’m running on climate change’,” Aki-Sawyer said. “I didn’t have boards saying ‘climate change champion.”

Under Aki-Sawyerr’s term, the city has planted around 977,000 trees and constructed its first wastewater treatment plant. 

Aki-Sawyerr is the co-chair of C40, a global network of nearly 100 mayors from leading cities united in confronting the climate crisis. Quezon City is the lone city in the Philippines that is part of this network.

Like the Philippines, Sierra Leone is frequently affected by natural disasters. If Freetown’s tragedy prompted voters to prioritize climate action, can the Philippines — where lives are frequently disrupted by typhoons, floods, and other disasters — do the same?

Belmonte hopes that this election cycle will mark a turning point. 

“I hope that the people of our country, will be more discerning when they choose their leaders in May 2025 and ask the right questions and choose potential leaders that are going to put climate action as part of their platform of governance,” Belmonte said.

Quezon City, the most populous city in the country, has been proactive in promoting green policies. In 2019, Belmonte signed an ordinance which bans single-use plastics in hotels, restaurants, and other similar establishments in the city. 

In partnership with Greenpeace, the Quezon City government also launched the “Kuha sa Tingi” program in July 2023. This livelihood initiative offers consumers affordable and convenient alternatives to sacheted products through simple reuse and refill systems in sari-sari (general merchandise) stores.

During the press conference, Belmonte announced plans to electrify the buses in the city’s free transportation program. By 2030, the city also aims to build 350 kilometers of bike lanes. – Rappler.com