8 November 2020 – Youth climate advocates from Bicol today called on the government to declare a national climate emergency following the devastation of Super Typhoon Rolly, which displaced over 100,000 Bicolanos due to strong flooding and lahar flow.
The demand for strong political commitment also came as the country commemorates the seventh year of Super Typhoon Yolanda.
“Rolly should be a wake-up call. We, along with my fellow young Bicolanos, are scared because if we do not take this seriously, we will be expecting more catastrophic events. There will be more Super Typhoon Yolanda and Super Typhoon Rolly — with the COVID-19 pandemic on top of it,” said Bicol University (BU) – Science Alliance Club President Bill Bontigao, a 20-year-old youth from Tabaco, Albay whose house was damaged by Rolly. Youth like Bontigao have been experiencing some of the worst typhoons to hit the country in the past two decades.
In a position paper released today [1], BU Science Alliance Club expressed support to scientists, environmental organizations, and climate activists in calling for a climate emergency declaration [2] to ensure urgent actions to mitigate climate change.
“We believe that the declaration will create ripples of gearing us up to a better normal because the normal that we have in mind is the problem itself. Let’s modify our thinking and understand that we need to focus on the things that will lead us to something that we truly deserve. We’ve had enough, never again! This is the last wake-up call and reminder for us to do better,” the statement reads.
“With sympathy, [we] acknowledge the [struggles] of our fellow Bicolanos due to the typhoons Quinta and Rolly, [plus] the fact that we are still going through the COVID-19 pandemic. These typhoons are induced more by climate change and global warming. We have experienced enough and we deserve a sustainable, liveable, lovable, and a better way of living,” it added.
Declaring a climate emergency must also include holding big polluters [3] accountable for their significant contribution to the climate crisis, the group said.
Greenpeace Philippines previously called on the Duterte government to show climate leadership as once again, the marginalized sectors, such as the youth, are bearing the brunt of climate crisis.
“When the youth calls for climate emergency declaration, the government must listen. They are relentless in calling for urgent actions because their future is on the line,” Greenpeace Campaigner Virginia Benosa-Llorin said. “In a country that is regularly battered by strong typhoons, FIlipino youth need protection. One way to ensure they are protected is to set policy directions that put people and planet first.”
Tell President Duterte to acknowledge the urgent situation we are facing by declaring a climate emergency.