I wasn’t really sure if I
should talk about Super Typhoon Haiyan in this post.
It’s certainly not my
intention to use every weather-related disaster as a promotional device for
climate change action.
Moreover, scientists say that no single weather event can be blamed on climate change.
So I was going to cover something else instead.
But when I heard the impassioned speech of lead Filipino climate negotiator Yeb Sano on day one of the Warsaw climate talks, it became clear to me that this is a topic that must be given attention.
Yeb Sano’s impassioned plea and hunger strike
Sano opened the UN climate talks this week with a plea for urgent action.
In an emotional speech, he rightfully pointed out that typhoons such as Haiyan and its impacts represent a sobering reminder that we cannot afford to procrastinate on climate action.
In solidarity with his countrymen who are struggling to find food and his brother who had not had food for three days, Sano announced that he was going on a hunger strike until “a meaningful outcome is in sight”.
Australia’s waning commitment to climate action
In contrast to Sano’s pressing call for increased commitment on climate action from the international community, Australian’s commitment is weakening.
Sadly, these are the first climate talks in 17 years where Australia has failed to send a minister to represent us.
There are also now suggestions that Australia will only remain committed to its 5% emissions reduction target, even though Australia has previously signed up to higher emissions targets if there is a commitment for stronger action by the international community. As well as damaging our credibility internationally, this would leave us further lagging behind other countries.
Sano’s plea also comes at a time when Australia’s federal government is swiftly removing, reducing and abolishing Australia’s climate change and clean energy policies and initiatives, and their associated institutions.
While I’m pleased that our federal government has pledged A$10 million of humanitarian aid in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, the extent of the destruction is so great that this amount will barely cover a fraction of a bill which will run into billions of dollars.
The reality is that Australia must also focus on real, urgent climate action. By allowing the world to get warmer, we enable storms to become more destructive.
For although there have been no conclusive scientific studies
finding that storms are getting more frequent or stronger in the Pacific Ocean, much of the devastation in typhoons comes with the related storm surge. Since climate change is already raising sea levels, the risk for severe inundation is also increasing.In fact, the sea level in the eastern Philippines is rising at one of the fastest rates worldwide – a fact that made coastal flooding from Haiyan worse, and likely contributed to the death toll.
Australia’s National Day of Climate Action, Sunday 17 November
Sano’s opening speech in Warsaw this week echoes his sentiment 11 months ago at the Doha climate talks. At those talks he made a similar plea in the wake of Typhoon Bohpa, which left more than a thousand people dead and hundreds of thousands homeless, asking:
"If not us, then who? If not now, then when?"
Sano’s question is a very poignant one, relevant to each and every one of us. And we must be comfortable with the answer.
It seems to me that we are coming to a defining point in history. It is a point that our children will look back on, and ask what we did to halt the climate emergency.
This Sunday, 17 November 2013, is Australia’s National Day of Climate Action. Come and be part of the campaign for climate change action. Join myself, and thousands of people from all over Australia, in demanding real, urgent action on climate change.
Useful links:
Further information on Australia’s National Day of Climate Action:
Yeb Sano’s powerful speech can be viewed
at the following link:
http://tcktcktck.org/2013/11/cop19-philippines-speech-moves-plenary-tears/58705
Taiphoon Haiyan relief effort:
Taiphoon Haiyan relief effort:
Image attribution: DVIDSHUB
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