Political Will

POLITICAL WILL

by Anton Antonio

July 1, 2015

If we simply listen to the captains of the energy industry, we can all be swayed by their narratives that circle along the following lines:  (1) That they would like to get out of fossil fuels; (2) That alternative sources of energy are still too expensive and more research and development is needed; (3) That the most cost-efficient energy source is coal; and, (4) That government does not have the funds to support green energy initiatives.  To the community of environmental advocates and activists, however, this is a very defeatist attitude and mindset.

The Philippines is a democracy and power emanates from the people.  It’s just so frustrating when public policies, especially those that are proposed and supposed to mitigate the ill effects of anthropogenic activities towards the environment, are not given due course simply because there is not enough funding support for them.  Frustrations becomes annoying when government prioritize the utilization of funds to: (a) support the lavish lifestyle of politicians and personalities in government; (b) support developmental projects to favor friends, relatives and political allies of those in power; (c) support a political agenda; and, (d) provide opportunities for graft and corrupt practices.  The multi-billion pesos lost in inefficiency and corruption in all levels and branches of government will be more than enough to pursue all the pro-environmental initiatives.  This could be done only with “political will”.

“Political will” refers to the fact that when passing any law there may be some political costs as the law may upset some people and please others.  “Political will” refers to that collective amount of political benefits and costs that would result from the passage of any given law. 

Let’s take Costa Rica for example.  Costa Rica has been running without having to burn fossil fuel for sometime now.  Their hydropower plants alone are generating nearly enough power for the entire country.  The additional power generated from their geothermal, solar and wind energy sources initiatives are more than enough to account for their total energy requirement.

If Costa Rica has proven that green energy is possible, why can’t other developing countries, including the Philippines, do the same?  All it takes is “political will”.

Just my little thoughts…

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REFERENCE:

Qz.com, (2015).  “Costa Rica is Now Running Completely on Renewable Energy”.  Retrieved on July 1, 2015 from http://qz.com/367985/costa-rica-is-now-running-completely-on-renewable-energy/?utm_source=parIC&%3Futm_source=parIC&cid=sf01002