Navigating the Triple Planetary Crisis: Insights from the UN's Role in Climate Action and Global Health

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

The United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC) is the global platform for climate action, with its primary aim to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations to a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Since its establishment in 1992, the UNFCCC has produced pivotal agreements like the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, which commit state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change mitigation, adaptation, and finance. The annual Conference of the Parties (COP) is where these agreements are negotiated and implemented. The presentation covered the key outcomes of COP29, highlighting the pledges made to various funds and setting new collective quantified goals for climate finance. A central theme of these discussions is the interconnectedness of climate change with other global crises, a concept known as the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

UN Institutions & Inter-Governmental Decision Making

The UN, founded in 1945 by the UN Charter, is the backbone of global peace and security. It operates through six main bodies: the General Assembly (UNGA), Security Council (UNSC), Secretariat, International Court of Justice (ICJ), Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and the Trusteeship Council. The UN also includes 15 specialized agencies, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which function autonomously.

With 193 sovereign member states, the UNGA provides a platform for equal representation and voting rights. Major milestones in its history include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1946), the Earth Summit (1992), and the establishment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Decision-making within this complex framework relies on debate, negotiation, and often, consensus.

Climate and Health at COPs

The intersection of climate change and global health has become a critical focus at recent COPs. COP26 saw more than 80 countries committing to climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems, along with the launch of the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate Change and Health (ATACH), hosted by the WHO. COP27 further elevated this by providing high-level financing for ATACH and establishing a Global Youth Forum on Health and Climate Change. This momentum continued at COP28, which featured the first-ever climate and health ministerial meeting and led to the COP28 Declaration on Climate and Health, endorsed by 148 countries.

COP29: Outcomes and Expectations

The presentation spotlighted COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, which hosted 67,000 delegates. The key expectation for COP29 was a "Climate Finance COP" result, aiming for a New Collective Quantified Goal for Climate Finance to enable greater ambition. This included building on the Global Stocktake (NDCs) from COP28 to enhance collective ambition. The Baku Climate Unity Pack emerged as a key outcome, with pledges for UNFCCC-related funds, including a goal of raising $1.3 trillion by 2035. Negotiations on the Global Stocktake (NDCs) will continue in 2025.

Funding the United Nations

A key question addressed in the presentation was who funds the UN. The presentation revealed that the United States is the largest single contributor, followed by Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom.  This bar graph illustrates the stark contrast between the contributions of a few major economies and the rest of the world, highlighting the financial dynamics that underpin global governance.

National Interests, Global Outcomes: The Role of Countries and Regions

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

From the silence of a single vote, a world's collective voice can either be born or be blocked. The UNFCCC's consensus-based system is a high-stakes arena where one voice can halt progress, but no single voice can dictate it. This is the stage for a drama of diplomacy, where nations form "Negotiating Groups," not out of convenience, but out of necessity. These aren't just alliances; they are intricate webs of political and institutional alignment, designed to pool resources, share information, and, most critically, consolidate political clout. They are the power brokers of climate action, speaking with a common voice to command attention on a global stage.

These groups are forged from shared location, circumstance, or a common issue. Consider the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries, like Bhutan and Nepal, their very geography binding them in a shared struggle. Or the Least Developed Countries, such as Cambodia and Bangladesh, united by their acute vulnerability. The Like-Minded Developing Countries—India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines—represent a formidable bloc of nations grappling with both development and climate change.

The plot thickens with the larger, more powerful alliances. The G77 + China is a behemoth, a coalition of developing nations that includes India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, and the Philippines. This alliance, in its sheer size and diversity, holds immense sway. Then there's the BASIC Group, a powerful subset composed of Brazil, South Africa, India, and China, whose collective weight in global emissions and emerging economies makes them central to any climate negotiation. The Coalition for Rainforest Nations—Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Indonesia—stands as a guardian of the world's vital rainforests, their shared ecological destiny a source of collective strength.

Not all alliances are defined by shared vulnerability or geography. The Umbrella Group, led by Japan, represents a different set of priorities, while the Mountain Group—Mongolia and Pakistan—finds common cause in their unique topographical challenges.

In this grand, global negotiation, every voice, every vote, and every alliance is a character in a complex play. The stakes are nothing less than the future of our planet. A single country's plight can be amplified by a group, and a group's collective will can shape the destiny of millions. The tension is palpable: will they unite to create a roar of progress, or will a single voice of dissent bring the entire process to a grinding halt?

"Given that a single voice can block a global decision, what responsibility do these negotiating groups have to find common ground, and how can we, as individuals, hold our own countries accountable within these powerful alliances?"

Marching Toward Fair Pay: Bohol’s Crucial Minimum Wage Hearing

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

A Pivotal Moment for Central Visayas

In the steamy halls of the MetroCentre Hotel & Convention Center in Tagbilaran City, Bohol, July-like August air pulses with anticipation. The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board—known colloquially as the RTWPB-7—is conducting a critical public hearing on the next minimum wage. This is the last major stop in the regional consultation, with the regional wage board’s decision expected this October. 

Just days after the board’s mandated review period began on August 3, 2025, following the 60-day rule tied to Wage Order ROVII-25, voices from all corners of society gather to be heard. 

On the Ground: Rey’s Urgent Message

Civil Engr. Amon Rey Clavano Loquere, Real Estate Broker and the Bohol convenor of the Green Party of the Philippines, stands not for labor, not for only employers—but for balance, deeply rooted in human stories and economic reality.

“I’m representing the management side, via the Cebu Real Estate Board under the Philippine Association of Real Estate Boards,” Loquere explains.

His organization urges the board to adopt a Php 850 daily minimum wage—calculated as the average between the current (approx.) Php 501 and the Php 1,200 sought by labor groups in Cebu unions.

Why such a middle ground? Rey remains clear and passionate:

“Inflation in Bohol is steep—especially food, fish, and education costs.”

He paints scenes most of us know too well: struggling parents at wet markets watching prices rise; students preparing for a new school year under budgets stretched thin. The fishing industry, a lifeline for coastal communities, offers diminishing returns.

His position is not merely pragmatic—it’s a plea. A plea for workers to afford essentials while giving employers, particularly small businesses, breathing room to stay afloat.

Context: What’s At Stake in Region VII

RTWPB-7 is tasked with reviewing minimum wages across the region—including Cebu, Bohol, and Negros Oriental—based on public hearings held throughout August 2025, culminating in this Tagbilaran session. 

The previous Wage Order (ROVII-25), effective since October 2024, set minimums but now must be revisited. 

The new wage order anticipated by October will take effect 15 days after its publication in a general circulation newspapers

Economic Reality vs. Human Need

At its core, the debate is about dignity and survival. Loquere’s proposal—Php 850—seeks to illuminate the path between two extremes. It acknowledges the unions' push for 1,200 and recognizes the unsustainability of keeping wages under 600 in a rapidly rising-cost environment.

Education and fish, staples of Bohol’s economy and daily life, are predictive indicators of poverty pressure. Prices for fish and schooling are among the priorities—because when people can’t eat or send kids to class, social instability follows.

How the Decision Will Shape Lives

Workers: A higher minimum wage means not just increased income, but possibly expanded access to health, nutrition, and education.

Employers: Especially SMEs and family-run operations, they face tighter margins—but Rey’s middleway offers a lifeline.

Bohol’s Future: If this hearing sets a path toward fairer wages, it could boost consumer spending, fueling local markets—but if too steep, it risks job losses or layoffs.

A Region United by Stakes

From labor activists in Cebu demanding Php 1,200, to the Green Party’s mediation proposal at Php 850, every voice in these hearings is vital. The RTWPB-7 must weigh data, empathy, and economic viability before issuing the October wage order.

Why this Moment Matters

Historical Significance: This hearing is part of a long tradition—RTWPB-7 must hold hearings 60 days before the wage order's anniversary 

It’s how democracy in labor rights works.

Economic Pulse: With inflation biting deep, prices across the archipelago, especially staples, are climbing. Rey’s plea is not an outlier—it mirrors a national struggle.

Human Story: Loquere reminds us this isn’t just numbers—it’s families stretching for a meal, students with dwindling school funds, small markets and fisherfolk whose profit margins evaporate.

Looking Ahead

October: Expect the wage board’s decision—likely to land between the extremes.

Implementation: Wage increase becomes effective 15 days post-publication. Employers must prepare; workers brace for relief.

Repercussions: Potential ripple effects on local prices, employment numbers, and social welfare must be monitored.

Final Reflection

Loquere’s voice in Bohol offers a rare bridge—rooted in empathy, pragmatic compromise, and regional realities. As the region awaits the wage board’s ruling, this moment stands as more than policy—it’s a testament to how communities fight for fairness, sustenance, and hope.

Will the wage board heed the cry for equilibrium? Will Php 850 become the new line between survival and collapse? Come October, Bohol—and all of Region VII—waits.