Rara Ada, area coordinator for the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), told MindaNews on Saturday that the event, which begins at 5 a.m., is expected to draw around 50 cyclists. Roxas Avenue from Freedom Park to MacArthur Highway, Quimpo Boulevard, and back to Freedom Park.
She said a similar event has been organized in Quezon City and Cagayan de Oro City.
Organizers hope to shine a light on vulnerable countries suffering from the negative effects of climate change, which are exacerbated by the green gas emissions of corporations and privileged countries.
She said organizers of the event in the city include Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development, 350.org, PMCJ, Greenpeace, Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS), and Sustainable Davao Movement (SDM).
Lawyer Mark Pealver, IDIS executive director, stated that the activity intends to call on cities such as Davao to be "carbon neutral," citing the need to reduce carbon footprint in light of the global climate emergency and environmental challenges such as flooding, sea-level rise, and stronger typhoons.
“Transforming cities to be carbon neutral is one of the solutions should we want to reduce our carbon footprint and contribute to maintaining global temperature well below 2 degrees,” he said.
Pealver emphasized that now is not the time to consider profit. He urged cities to prioritize people and the planet, urging local governments to take bold steps in developing and crafting strategies to address climate change and its consequences.
“Cities are now becoming major sources of higher carbon emissions due to unsustainable development in the area of transportation, infrastructure, energy, and industry. Cities should improve public transportation and cut travel time and time spent on the road to reduce carbon emitted by vehicles,” he said.
He said road systems should be improved to make it safer “for pedestrians and pedestrians on wheels, and in order to encourage more people to ride their bikes and ditch their cars.”
He said cities should invest more on green infrastructure and incorporate nature-based designs in order to mitigate flooding and reduce the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect by increasing green spaces.
“As to energy, cities should avoid creation and dependence on dirty energies, like coal-fired power and waste-to-energy incineration and invest more on renewable energies. We saw how dirty energy sources impact other countries’ environment and their people’s health,” he said, adding the impacts of countries’ dependence on coal can be felt through strong typhoons and unpredictable weather.
According to Peñalver, industries should also step up their efforts on environmental protection and sustainability to “reduce their emissions and their contributions to the worsening climate.”
“This demand is also a call for partnership and critical collaboration. For government and private entities to be more open to listen and accept recommendations from the civil society and experts,” he said.
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