PLASTICS AT COP30: THE UNTOLD FRONTLINE OF THE CLIMATE FIGHT

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

As the world turns its eyes toward COP30, one truth is becoming painfully clear: we cannot win the fight against climate change without confronting plastics. Behind every plastic bottle, every disposable fork, and every piece of packaging lies a hidden story of fossil fuels — the same oil and gas that drive global warming. Plastics are not merely a waste problem. They are a climate problem, a toxic pollution problem, and a human rights problem — and their ever-expanding production threatens to derail our last hopes of keeping global temperature rise below 1.5°C.

Plastics: The Fossil Fuel Industry’s New Lifeline

The fossil fuel industry is pivoting. As the world slowly transitions to renewable energy and moves away from coal and gas, oil companies are finding a new lifeline in petrochemicals — the building blocks of plastics. The International Energy Agency (IEA) warns that by 2030, the petrochemical sector will consume one in every six barrels of oil. This means that while nations pledge carbon neutrality, the same fossil fuel companies are quietly investing billions in new plastic production facilities.

Plastics production already accounts for over 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and if unchecked, could eat up a quarter of the world’s remaining carbon budget. Every phase of the plastic life cycle — from extraction and refining to manufacturing and disposal — releases climate-warming gases. When plastics are burned or left to degrade, they emit methane and ethylene, two potent greenhouse gases that accelerate the climate crisis.

In essence, plastics are fossil fuels in disguise — fossil fuels we can touch, wrap our food in, and throw away after a single use.

A Planet Drowning in Plastic

From 2000 to 2019, global plastics production doubled to 450 million tons — and it’s set to double again by 2040. Nearly 80% of plastic waste ends up in landfills or the natural environment, while millions of tons are burned, releasing toxic fumes into the air. The economic cost to marine and freshwater ecosystems is staggering, but even more disturbing are the invisible costs to human health and biodiversity.

Microplastics have invaded every corner of our world — from the deepest oceans to the clouds above. They have been found in placentas, lungs, and even the human brain. Tiny but deadly, these particles choke marine life, disrupt food chains, and may even weaken the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide — a crucial buffer against global warming. According to emerging research, these microplastics act like “planetary splinters,” silently wounding ecosystems from within.

A Human Rights Crisis in Disguise

The plastics crisis is not just an environmental issue — it’s a human rights catastrophe. The UN Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights has warned that the plastic life cycle violates a broad spectrum of human rights: to life, health, food, water, housing, and a clean environment.

Communities living near plastic production hubs bear the heaviest burdens — inhaling toxic emissions, facing contaminated water, and enduring the health consequences of an industry that treats them as collateral damage. These are often marginalized communities with the least power to fight back. The injustice is staggering: the profits of the plastics boom are concentrated in corporate hands, while the pollution and disease it spreads fall on the poor.

The Global Plastics Treaty: A Critical Missing Piece

In 2022, UN Member States began negotiating what could become a historic Global Plastics Treaty — a legally binding pact to end plastic pollution “from source to sea.” But like the early days of the UN climate process, progress has been painfully slow.

Negotiations were supposed to conclude in 2024; instead, they remain mired in disputes eerily similar to those that have paralyzed the UN climate talks for decades. Major petro-states and corporate lobbyists are resisting production limits, pushing instead for “waste management solutions” that do little to stem the flow of new plastics. In both the UNFCCC and the plastics treaty process, fossil fuel interests wield enormous influence, often even appearing within national delegations.

Decision-making by consensus — a rule that allows a single nation to block progress — has turned both processes into hostage situations. For 30 years, it delayed action on fossil fuels; now, it threatens to do the same for plastics.

If the world repeats the mistakes of the UNFCCC, the plastics treaty could become another hollow promise — a monument to missed opportunity.

COP30: The Moment of Reckoning

COP30, to be held in Brazil, comes at a critical moment. The host country’s stance could shape the future of both climate and plastics policy. Brazil, a major petrochemical producer, has shown mixed signals: on one hand, launching a national strategy for a plastic-free ocean; on the other, pushing bills that favor the chemical industry and aligning with producer countries to weaken global limits on plastic production.

Observers are watching closely to see whether COP30 will finally acknowledge the link between petrochemicals, plastics, and climate change. For decades, plastics have been treated as a separate issue — a waste management problem — but this artificial divide no longer holds. Plastics are fossil fuels, and fossil fuels are the root of the climate crisis.

A strong outcome from COP30 would explicitly recognize that reducing plastics production is essential to reducing emissions. It would send a powerful signal that the age of petrochemical expansion is over — and that humanity is serious about cutting the fossil fuel umbilical cord once and for all.

Turning Off the Tap

Activists and experts are calling for one clear, urgent action: turn off the tap.

That means halting the construction of new plastic production facilities, setting binding global caps on plastic production, and holding the fossil fuel industry accountable for decades of pollution and deception.

Reducing plastics is not just about cleaning up beaches; it’s about rewriting the future of the planet. Every ton of plastic we don’t produce means less oil extracted, less CO₂ released, and fewer toxins in our air, soil, and water. It’s an act of climate justice — a lifeline for ecosystems, and for generations yet unborn.

A Call to Courage

At COP30, leaders face a stark choice: continue feeding the fossil fuel addiction through plastics and petrochemicals, or lead humanity toward a cleaner, fairer, and truly sustainable future.

For all the speeches, pledges, and negotiations, the question remains heartbreakingly simple:

Will we keep drowning the planet in plastic — or will we finally have the courage to turn off the tap?

“Plastics are the invisible chains that keep humanity tied to fossil fuels.

To save our planet, we must not only clean what’s been spilled —

we must have the courage to turn off the tap.”

— Ross Flores Del Rosario, Wazzup Pilipinas Founder

GEOPOTENTIAL 2025: “METRO: Shaping Better Cities Through Geomatics”

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

The University of the Philippines Society of Geodetic Engineering Majors (UP GEOP), a recognized academic and socio-civic organization based at the College of Engineering, University of the Philippines Diliman, proudly presents GEOPOTENTIAL 2025: “METRO: Shaping Better Cities Through Geomatics”.

Now in its 8th year, GEOPOTENTIAL continues its legacy of promoting awareness and appreciation for the field of Geodetic Engineering among youths. The event will be held on November 08, 2025, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the UP School of Economics (UPSE) Auditorium, located at Osmeña Avenue corner Guerrero Street, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City.

GEOPOTENTIAL 2025 aims to highlight the crucial role of geomatics in shaping sustainable

and smarter cities. The event will begin with a series of expert talks, introducing aspiring engineering students to the diverse and expansive career paths within Geodetic Engineering.

The four talks will cover Introduction to Geodetic Engineering, Geomatics and Smart Cities, Surveying in the City, and Geomatics and Urban Planning. These sessions are designed to inspire young minds and broaden their understanding of how geospatial technology supports urban development and efficient city planning.

Following the talks, participants will have the opportunity to witness an Instrument Demonstration, showcasing the primary tools and equipment used by geodetic engineers in the field.

The event will conclude with a Quiz Bee, where students can apply and test their newly acquired knowledge.

Through GEOPOTENTIAL 2025, UP GEOP continues to advance its mission of shaping the next generation of youths in helping them prepare their career as we introduce them to Geodetic Engineering. It also fosters appreciation for geomatics as a vital discipline in building better, smarter, and more resilient cities.

The Silent Crisis: Why the Philippines Must Reimagine Care Before 2030

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

As the nation hurtles toward becoming an aging society, the invisible labor sustaining millions of homes—and the women performing it—stands at a crossroads between recognition and continued exploitation

PASAY CITY — In a conference hall at the Philippine International Convention Center, Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) Chairperson Ermelita V. Valdeavilla posed a question that hung in the air like an unspoken truth finally given voice: "What would happen if women stopped working for a week and let the men do the domestic work?"

The answer, though unspoken, resonated through the plenary session: the nation would grind to a halt.

It was a provocative challenge delivered during the Philippine Conference on Women, Peace & Security on October 29, but behind it lay a sobering statistical reality. The Philippines is racing against time—by 2030, just five years away, the country will officially become an aging society. And when that threshold is crossed, the already invisible army of caregivers, domestic workers, and unpaid family members who hold the fabric of Filipino life together will face unprecedented strain.

The Invisible Economy That Powers a Nation

The numbers are staggering. According to the International Labor Organization, an estimated 16.5 billion person-hours of care work are performed globally each day—the equivalent of 2.5 billion full-time workers. In the Philippines, this massive economic engine runs almost entirely on the backs of women, yet remains largely unrecognized, uncompensated, and undervalued.

"Make no mistake about care work," Valdeavilla declared to the assembled delegates. "Care work is not dispensable."

The statement underscored a fundamental paradox: the work that sustains life itself—feeding families, raising children, tending to the elderly and sick—is treated as economically worthless when performed within the home. Meanwhile, when the same labor enters the formal economy, it occupies the lowest rungs of the wage ladder.

Consider the landscape of care in the Philippines today:

Unpaid care workers spend their prime years managing households, raising children, and caring for aging relatives—with no retirement benefits, no social security, no recognition in GDP calculations. Their labor is essential, yet economically invisible.

Paid care workers—nurses, caregivers, domestic helpers—form the backbone of both household and institutional care, yet consistently rank among the lowest-paid professionals despite their critical role.

Community care workers, including barangay health workers, serve on the frontlines during disasters and health emergencies, often without compensation or formal recognition for their contributions.

A Colonial Legacy of Devaluation

Valdeavilla traced the roots of this systemic devaluation through history, noting that the Philippines endured 377 years of Spanish colonization from 1521 to 1898—a period that, she argued, ingrained patterns of brutality and violence into the social fabric. These colonial structures left lasting imprints on how Filipino society views labor, gender, and value.

"Discrimination is injustice, and injustice is a violation of human rights, which is prohibited in the Philippines," she emphasized, connecting the historical marginalization of care work to broader questions of human rights and social justice.

The Demographic Time Bomb

The urgency of addressing this crisis cannot be overstated. As the Philippines transitions to an aging society by 2030, demand for care work will explode. An aging population means more elderly citizens requiring daily assistance, more chronic health conditions demanding attention, and more families struggling to balance work with caregiving responsibilities.

"This means it would require more domestic work and care work," Valdeavilla warned, noting that "the best time of women is spent in care work."

Yet the systems to support this increased demand remain woefully inadequate. Without significant intervention, the burden will continue to fall disproportionately on women—perpetuating cycles of poverty, limiting women's economic participation, and undermining efforts toward gender equality.

A Call for Recognition and Reform

The conference session, which commemorated the 25th anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security, positioned investment in the care economy as inseparable from achieving lasting peace and gender equality.

Under the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 5, the international community has mandated the achievement of gender equality—a goal that remains impossible without fundamentally reimagining how society values and supports care work.

Valdeavilla revealed that PCW is campaigning in the 20th Congress to expand the commission's mandate and resources, recognizing that policy change at the highest levels is essential to transform the care economy.

Care as a Pathway to Peace

The session's central thesis—that investing in the care economy is a pathway to peace, security, and gender equality—reflects a growing international recognition that care work is not merely a women's issue or a family matter, but a foundational element of social stability.

When care work is devalued and unsupported, entire communities suffer. Families face impossible choices between earning income and caring for loved ones. Women are trapped in cycles of unpaid labor that prevent economic advancement. Children and elderly receive inadequate care. Social tensions mount.

Conversely, when societies invest in care—through living wages for care workers, social support systems for family caregivers, universal childcare and eldercare services, and cultural recognition of care's value—everyone benefits.

As the conference attendees rose in unison to chant, "Care for people. Care for peace," they embodied a vision of a Philippines where care work is recognized not as a burden borne by women in silence, but as essential labor deserving of dignity, compensation, and national priority.

The Challenge Ahead

With just five years remaining before the Philippines crosses the threshold into an aging society, the window for meaningful action is closing rapidly. The question Chairperson Valdeavilla posed—what would happen if women stopped working—demands an answer not in hypothetical terms, but in concrete policy, investment, and cultural transformation.

"Care is everyone's work," Valdeavilla declared, offering a vision of shared responsibility that challenges deeply entrenched gender roles and economic structures.

The path forward requires courage, resources, and political will. It demands that the Philippines stop treating care as free labor to be exploited and start recognizing it as the foundation upon which all other economic and social activity rests.

The demographic clock is ticking. The question is no longer whether the Philippines will become an aging society—it's whether the nation will enter that future with a care economy that values human dignity, or continue with systems that perpetuate inequality and injustice.

The answer to that question will shape not just the lives of millions of Filipino women, but the future of the nation itself.

This article is based on proceedings from the Philippine Conference on Women, Peace & Security held at the Philippine International Convention Center, Pasay City, on October 29, 2025.