COP18: Stand with the Philippines

On Tuesday night the Philippines were hit by a giant typhoon – a phenomenon that scientists have been warning about for years as a possible result from the current changes in climate. While people evacuated in their hundreds of thousands across the southern Philippines and the country was ravaged by high winds and torrential rain, here in Doha the UN Climate Talks continued to stall.
A few days ago on 5th December 2012, youth from all over the world signed on to a solidarity statement issued by the Canadian Youth Delegation
As the COP18 climate talks drag into their second week, for some the reality of a changing climate is striking home. In the Long-Term Cooperative Agreement Plenary session yesterday, a delegate from the Philippines said "instead of getting ready for Christmas, we may be counting our dead" referring to the impending landfall of Super Typhoon Bopha. Touching down last night, the storm has caused over 40,000 people to flee their homes, and many wait to see the impact of the 16th extreme weather event to batter the Philippines this year.
Meanwhile, ambition – be it in terms of emissions cuts or finance – seems to remain off the table in Doha. Policies which would limit the free license of fossil fuel corporations to blow us past our planetary carbon budget are little more than the feverish dreams of civil society and nations already bearing the brunt of a warmed world.
The time for talk has run out, and the runway for inaction is long lost, yet still the talks stagnate, while those responsible for this crisis are able to stand in the way of justice. Blocking ambition and equity on the global scale is a criminal act. It is, at a minimum, the wilful destruction of property and the knowing neglect of human life and loss. Those countries here in Doha who continue to defend business as usual, are guilty and history will judge them as such.
For now, we stand with the Philippines. We stand with the millions of people around the world paying for the ignorance and arrogance of countries and fossil fuel corporations who put the interests of profits ahead of the needs of people.
On ne lache pas – we won't back down.
In Solidarity
Youth and developing nations are asking for justice, equity and ambition from these talks. We need to find a fair replacement for Kyoto. Today, civil society groups and developing nations got together to protest the current form of negotiations and state clearly that the current deal will do nowhere near enough. The Philippines have taken a stand against what has been labelled a "weak legacy", a treaty not fit for purpose or to help their cause. As tweeted by the UK Youth Climate Coalition "#Bopha reminds us that inaction at #COP18 is not an option. Stand with the Philippines & push #UNFCCC for a just #climatelegacy!"
There is a sense of urgency in the air, but are the Developed nations listening? The US in particular has been blamed for stalling negotiations, repeatedly taking a position that does not reflect the urgency of change needed and the situations even American citizens are coming to face from a summer of droughts to the reality of Hurricane Sandy. Historic emissions remain at the centre of the debate: Who should bear the brunt of the cost? Who is responsible? I shall explain these arguments in detail in my next blog. Here is a quick round up of the current state of affairs by the UKYCC's Jamie Peters:
"For now, in the Philippines there are over 270 confirmed dead already and a quarter of a million people homeless. If this is climate change today, what can we expect tomorrow? As highlighted by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, rich nations need to accept responsibility, commit to ambitious cuts in carbon emissions and bear the brunt of the financial burden for change to say the least. Our leaders need to show real strength, vision and leadership in the coming days if they truly wish to turn the tide."