Marcos launches national carbon market to boost rural incomes

President Marcos signed Executive Order No. 127 on October 13, tasking the government with creating a comprehensive national carbon market system. The framework is intended to provide supplementary income opportunities for agricultural workers, private enterprises, and local communities that engage in environmentally sustainable practices.

Under the proposed system, participants can earn money through several activities including forest protection, tree planting initiatives, and the transition to clean energy sources. The carbon market mechanism would allow these economic actors to monetize their environmental contributions, effectively creating a financial bridge between conservation efforts and livelihood improvements.

The initiative represents the administration's strategy to combine climate action with rural economic development. By establishing a market-based approach to carbon emissions reduction, the government seeks to incentivize voluntary participation from multiple sectors of society rather than relying solely on regulatory mandates.

The executive order directs relevant government agencies to develop the technical specifications, governance structure, and operational guidelines necessary to launch the carbon market. Officials are expected to coordinate with stakeholders across agriculture, energy, forestry, and business sectors to ensure the framework's feasibility and effectiveness across diverse regions of the Philippines.

Photo: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his official 2025 State of the Nation Address portrait. Congress of the Philippines via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).