Green Convergence, in collaboration with Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), held a seminar-workshop on greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting titled “Watt’s Up?: The Basics of Green Energy and Decarbonization” last May 28, 2025 at Citynet Central in Mandaluyong City.
The event was held in line with PBSP’s decarbonization efforts. As the largest business non-governmental organization (NGO), PBSP equips its members with the knowledge and tools to effectively mitigate climate change.
PBSP’s Grant Management and Implementation Manager Amanda Bacani said that climate change impacts businesses. She emphasized the advantages of “greening” the business, like going into renewable energy. Among the benefits are cost savings and consumer appeal.
As a framework for businesses’ decision-making on future actions, AAB Program Director and Green Convergence Trustee Dr. Angelina Galang discussed the seven environmental principles, most of which were adapted from the American biologist Barry Commoner: (1) Nature knows best, (2) All forms of life are important, (3) Everything is connected to everything else, (4) Everything changes, (5) Ours is a finite Earth, (6) Everything must go somewhere, and (7) Nature is beautiful and we are the stewards of God’s creation. Dr. Galang said that transgressions of these principles have brought about global warming, and eventually to our present state of “global boiling.”
Emphasizing interdependence and our dependence on nature, Dr. Galang remarked, “In spite of our intelligence [and] our technologies, ultimately, we still depend on nature—even businesses, which get their materials [and] fuels from nature.”
Delving deeper into the climate issues, the First Philippine Holdings’ (FPH) Chief Sustainability Officer and AAB Program’s Business Sector Head Agnes de Jesus discussed the global trajectory of GHG emissions and how it negatively impacts the planet.
Citing scientific studies, she said that the progressing global heating up to 4.40C can make the Philippines and the other countries along the equator uninhabitable. Considering that the emissions and temperature today is ten to 20 times higher than the last mass species extinction, there is the possibility that the same would occur, unless everyone takes action.
Thus, the Paris Agreement obliges all entities from countries down to organizations and individuals to target a 45% reduction in their GHG emissions by year 2030, and to be net zero by year 2050. De Jesus congratulated PBSP’s members and suppliers in attendance for being years ahead of the possible government requirement for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to submit their carbon footprint for audit.
De Jesus then introduced GHG calculators as a basis for climate action, notably the AAB entity-level and household GHG calculators.
She then discussed the mitigation hierarchy—avoidance (zero energy, zero emissions), minimize, reduce, and remove (efficient activities mean less energy, less emissions), and the natural or man-made carbon offset as last resort.
De Jesus hoped that the GHG emissions audit is a process “to mobilize everyone and embrace the fact that we should act now.”
For the last part of the seminar-workshop, AAB Program Leader Milagros Serrana went into the details of the AAB entity-level GHG calculator and guided the attendees on how to use it.
A workshop followed where the participants tried out the entity calculator with the use of a logistics company dummy data. Some participants were also able to input their company’s data, making the subsequent sharing more productive.
The link to the AAB household GHG calculator web app was shared to the attendees to enable them to do carbon audits of their own household. Dummy data for a manufacturing company was also shared online for the attendees to work on as a take-home exercise.
Overall, the attendees shared that they found the seminar-workshop helpful and inspiring, as they embark into their own company’s and household’s GHG emissions accounting.
Ako Ang Bukas (or “I am the future”) is a movement with a central campaign, “Quantum Leap NOW: Climate Neutrality 2050.” It seeks to involve all sectors and levels of society nationwide in taking urgent, concerted action to address the climate crisis facing the country and the world.
Be part of a bigger change by joining the AAB program through this link: bit.ly/AKOANGBUKAS. Moreover, the AAB household GHG calculator can be accessed through this link: aab-household-ghg-web.app.